Jump-chain to Godhood
by asbs
Summary: not mine
1. Chapter 1

"Hi!" a cheerful but unfamiliar voice spoke directly into my ear. I jerked awake in an instant, my blanket tangling in my legs and and sending me to the floor with a loud thump. My mind was racing: that wasn't my wife, but it was a female voice. This wasn't my bedroom floor, but that had been my bed I fell out of. I wasn't wearing my CPAP mask, which means whoever it was had managed to remove the thing from my head and face without my noticing. I wasn't an incredibly light sleeper, but that definitely should have gotten my attention.

After untangling myself from the blanket (mine, I noted), I stood up and looked for the source of the voice. I was surrounded by darkness on all sides, the only solid things around me being my bed and blanket and the featureless cement floor underneath me. With no one in sight I looked up, noting the fluorescent light mounted on what might have been a grocery store or warehouse ceiling. It was difficult to tell. With my heart hammering I slowly moved out of the circle of light cast by the light overhead, and tried to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. I'd always had good dark vision, so it shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to find whoever to was that had abducted me. What I'd do when I found them, I had no idea. Who the hell steals a person **IN THEIR BED**, puts them in a dark warehouse, and then takes off their medical equipment?

"You won't find me that way," I heard from the direction of the bed. Spooked, I jumped and nearly stumbled again turning around. Apparently even the adrenaline produced by my wake-up-call wasn't enough to make me completely coordinated after a dead sleep. Maybe I was drugged?

"Nope! No drugs," replied the figure sitting on my bed. "Also, you won't need to worry about sleep-apnea anymore. I took care of that and a couple other things."

My brain rapidly clearing, I stared in shock at the young woman before me. Short, slim, wearing a lab coat and house slippers, and a dead ringer for an anime character I adored. Completely ridiculous hair included. The voice was irritatingly cheerful and a little too loud, but this was definitely Washu Hakubi. Or was it Hakubi Washu? She was speaking English, but she was also technically a goddess in her world. Would she want me to call her by her first or last name? Should I use the respectful suffix "sama" or the diminutive "chan" she demands people use in the show? My mind was so caught up on this being WASHU of all (fictional?) people that I was kind of stuck in a loop.

"None of that now! You're my new guinea-pig! And for your information, I am A Washu rather than THE Washu. YOU however will be calling me Jump-chan per tradition. Or Washu-chan if you really HAVE to. There's no need to mutilate Japanese by trying to use it interchangeably with English, so I'd prefer Miss Washu over the other two."

'_Holy shit. She's in my head. SHE'S IN MY HEAD READING MY THOUGHTS AND-_'

"No! Bad Jumper! You can't freak out on me now or I won't even have time to make the popcorn before you stop being entertaining!"

I'd just been hit with a paper fan. Also: what? Wait. Jump-chan? Jumper. Oh. Oh no. Oh NO NO NO NO NO. What happened to my wife? Did I die, or did Washu just pluck me out of the timeline randomly and now I'd end up either going back into a regular world with powers that would completely alienate me from the rest of the world or be annihilated down to my very soul for pissing off an apparently inter-dimensional version of Washu? A completely unnatural calm settled over me, and I found my eyes focussing once more on the entity in front of me. While I wasn't entirely sure of it, I suspected she was responsible.

"I am. And you're both technically in quantum flux. You can be dead or not, depending on what timeline I send you back to when you're done. That's up to you, since I really don't care. You will however be replacing that failure Tenchi as my next attempt to create a being more powerful than I was when I was created. You seem to have missed something in your entertainment, as myself and my sisters were already the creators of a multiverse canonically. I'm not only the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe, I'm the **GREATEST SCIENTIFIC GENIUS IN THE MULTIVERSE!**"

Stereotypical mad-scientist laughter followed. It included gratuitous praise for said Scientific Genius by a pair of Washu-miniatures that popped up, one over each shoulder. My mind was once again slightly locked up, but at least I was paying attention this time and she didn't overtly mess with my emotions.

"Ahem. Also, I'm a Goddess. Capital G. In my own home universe I merged with Tsunami and Tokimi when our Tenchi proved to be incapable of handling godhood in any continuity. After that I discovered that MY multiverse was only a branch of the TRUE multiverse and started branching out. I'm hoping that by provoking the genesis of a being of similar power to my original self, I'll learn more about my own origins. I can't really remember how I was born, just that my sisters and I eventually got bored and created a playground for ourselves. After that...well, you know enough of the story for it not to matter."

"Umm... ok," I replied. That was a lot to take in, but I think I got it. Nobody was dead, technically. I could go back to my friends and loved ones at the end of this if I wanted to. Apparently I was going to become some sort of god or equally powerful entity in order to satisfy Washu's curiosity.

"Don't forget, I also want you to be entertaining!" she interjected, completely ignoring the fact that I wasn't speaking to her, or at all for that matter. She also seemed to have acquired popcorn from somewhere. I wondered briefly if that was an affectation or if she really liked popcorn before deciding it was irrelevant. I had to be rational about this, or I'd go insane. That meant picking up some sort of mental stability perks as soon as possible. I also needed to know the rules for this particular chain. Not all jump-chains are the same in the fiction, after all. The original rules were written by an author going by Quicksilver if I remembered correctly, but most of the actual jumps were written by other authors following his template.

"Very good! Now you're getting into the swing of things! Since you're an experiment, I'll be holding you to a few of Quicksilver's rules at least to start with. You WILL start with the Pokémon Trainer jump to get your feet wet, and you WILL stay within the rules outlined for that jump. That way I can recreate the experiment up to this point with one of your dimensional counterparts with some reliability. I'm already doing that, actually. You're just one of many instances of yourself going through this test."

Huh. The powers of a higher-dimensional Goddess (capital G, remember?) would allow for that wouldn't they? And it was a great way to pick up an arbitrarily large sample size with just a few control variables. Washu was smirking at me now and had an eyebrow quirked. That was getting annoying, but I'd probably be dealing with it the entire jump-chain. She shrugged her shoulders with a "what can you do?" expression. I resisted the urge to introduce my palm to my face. I wondered though...since the experiment had already started, could I negotiate how the rest of it would go? Washu's smirk turned into a full-blown smile. I had my answer.

"Ok. Since you seem to be willing to negotiate a little, I'd like the following: I want to be able to turn perks on and off at will, especially body-mod; I want to be able to purchase perks from previous jumps whenever I have CP available; I want to be able to re-try any jump that I fail or die in; and when I finish the chain I want to be able to rejoin my wife for the rest of our lives as we would have otherwise lived them then get my powers back when I die. I also want my wife to be empowered somehow, with the same conditions regarding our old life and getting her powers when she dies."

"Interesting, but I sense you're not really thinking this through all the way. Please extrapolate. Explain your reasoning, and maybe we can make this a little more comfortable for you."

"Well...my wife and I already had theories of what would happen to us in the afterlife. A jump-chain is pretty similar to what I hoped for, but with more rules and the ability to gain powers a lot faster. We agreed that we'd meet in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine universe and romp around as godlike beings if at all possible, with the option to explore other universes when we got bored. She wanted to be half Q, and I wanted to be a shapeshifting energy being with lots of arbitrary powers, including magic."

Washu eyed me for a moment, then threw her head back and cackled like a mad-woman. This lasted a few minutes, during which I finally realized I was wearing almost nothing and she negligently waved her hand to dress me in slacks and a button-up shirt. She was still giggling several minutes later, and actually had a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, that's precious!" she giggled. "You really are perfect for this, given your expectations! You've got some common sense, but you're also willing to go out on a limb and try to change the parameters of the experiment. Even when you think I'll just wipe away your SOUL if you annoy me, you're willing to take a risk to be with your wife in your 'perfect' afterlife."

As her laughter died down she gave me an appraising look, then waived her hand. A partially-transparent screen opened in front of me like a game prompt, with a bullet-pointed list and a scroll bar included.

"How's this, for you? I think I picked up enough of your intentions that this will work out for the best. I also had another avatar talk to your wife a bit, so some of this is based on her input."

Since there were no controls visible, I assumed the screen would respond to my touch. It did, and I spent some time reading over the terms.

**The Rules**

Jump-chan will enforce all jump rules as written, but will be able to contact with the Jumper at any time for the purpose of rules-lawyering, adjudication, and/or entertainment. (You like to negotiate, so we'll negotiate!) This connection cannot be turned off or blocked, and Jump-chan may choose to interject commentary or otherwise use said connection for her own entertainment. Some exceptions may be made where Jump-chan has different versions of the documents in question. Hers will always supersede any other versions.

Jump-chan will allow the Jumper to turn perks/abilities/etc. on and off at-will, since they're already purchased and his to use or not use. If it makes sense for them to be scaleable, then the Jumper can scale them up and/or down from off to all the way on. Drawbacks kept beyond their initial Jump (see below) also benefit from this feature, but drawbacks purchased in the current Jump do not. Should the jumper at any point lose control his faculties for any reason these choices will remain locked until he regains control.

The Jumper may, if he so chooses, retain drawbacks between jumps. They do not provide additional Choice Points, but may be locked in negotiations with Jump-chan or for entertainment. Please remember that when active, Drawbacks always supersede Perks. Drawbacks normally go away at the end of the jump in which they were purchased, as per most jump documents and precedent.

Jump-chan will choose a few jumps, perks, drawbacks, and background settings on her own, which the Jumper will have to deal with as if he'd picked them. Perk choices will always be to advance either Jump-chan's experiment or the Jumper's goals, but Jump choices may just be for entertainment. For example, the Jumper's second Jump MUST be to the universe of The Gamer and the Jumper's perks for that jump MUST include the full Gamer ability to ensure flexibility and adaptability for future powers.

The Jumper may purchase Perks, Gear, and/or Drawbacks from previous Jumps at any time Choice Points (CP) are available. To allow more flexibility in this, the Jumper may in fact "bank" or preserve up to 500 CP between jumps. Any CP banked or un-spent over the 500 point limit will be lost.

The Jumper MUST take at least one high-magic Jump and achieve a rank equivalent to archmage, preferably an epic/legendary one. To ensure his magic and shape-shifting meet his expectations at the end of the Chain, the Jumper may need to spend extra time in certain Jumps at Jump-chan's discretion.

Since the Jumper wants to be a shape-shifter so bad, he cannot skip an alternate form in any Jump even if that form is a drawback. At the end of the Jump it will become an alternate form assumable at-will. The only exceptions to this are if the Jumper already has the form in question available, the Jumper doesn't actually encounter an opportunity to assume said form, or if he's already acquired at least one new form during the Jump. Jump-chan may still force the issue, though.

Jumps can be either restarted or continued via the Cosmic Warehouse "Return" option, in which case the Jumper will retain all their previous Perks and Drawbacks, but be able to pick up new Perks and buy-off existing Drawbacks as if starting a new Jump. If the Jumper fails a scenario or permanently dies in-Jump, he will instead start fresh in that Jump as if he'd never started it but with memories intact. Abusing this will anger Jump-chan. Don't do it.

The Jumper's spouse will be offered similar empowerment in order to meet her own goals, and the final decision of what to do when the chain ends will be a joint decision between the Jumper and his spouse.

The Jumper may not engage in any romantic or sexual relations that last beyond the Jump in which they start, and may not produce children during the Jump-Chain. For the sake of his sanity social and even romantic contact is encouraged, but he must still remain loyal to his spouse or the Jump-Chain will end and he will be stuck wherever he cheated. He will also be rendered sterile for his own safety for the duration of the Jump-Chain.

I goggled. That was a lot to take in.

"Will I have access to this after I start? Also, you talked to my wife? And she was alright with these conditions?" I asked, a hint of fear in my voice. I was encouraged to have temporary romantic relationships with other people? I knew each Jump was a decade, but I really didn't think my wife would ever agree to that.

"Yep! Apparently she's got her eye on a few people too, but doesn't want to abandon you. You're a lucky guy, provided you agree to the conditions. Lots of humans have personal hang-ups about loyalty that this doesn't follow. She'll abide by the last one if you do," Washu stated casually. I gulped. Was I really alright with that? A few minutes and a little foot-tapping from Washu later I made my decision. It was essentially our afterlives, and we'd sworn to be together all our lives. That she still wanted to be with me even after sort-of-death was comforting, and the freedom would allow us both to grow as...people? Souls? Whatever we were now. We'd still be "coming home" to each other in the end.

"I agree."

"Excellent!" Washu clapped her hands and pointed behind me, where a sort of holographic computer screen had appeared in another circle of light. "You're going to Pokémon first, and since I loved the cartoon it's might get a little silly. Get your feet wet with this, then we'll get serious with The Gamer. After that you'll have a bit more freedom of choice. Also: don't worry about keeping the plot under control unless I tell you otherwise. I'll handle any really serious issues that might pop-up."

I nodded, and headed to the screen. Apparently Washu really did like the original Pokémon cartoon, since there were a couple of notes I was sure weren't in the original Jump Document. I would start my stay in that world in Viridian City of the Kanto region, where Ash would be heading after starting his pokémon journey the day after I arrived. I'd be thirteen, so I'd be three years older than the "worst trainer in history who still somehow managed to repeatedly save the world." Misty would be twelve and Brock would be fifteen. That explained him being a hormonal idiot throughout what I remember of the series. Thankfully with Ash present I wouldn't be the protagonist of the story, which meant I could potentially focus on other things and leave him to his terrible decisions that somehow saved the world. Maybe I could screw with him a little, though?

As I mused on exactly how much I could get away with messing with the anime, I made my remaining choices. For a starter pokémon I chose Vulpix, since it was only a little extra and I loved the idea of having a Ninetails eventually. I loved the mythological kitsune as they were portrayed in some of the modern media I'd seen, even though the older legends usually depicted them as somewhat malevolent. I'd start with a City Life background for free Parkour/Free-Running and discounted Psionics, then add the flaws Silenced and Swarmed to get enough points for Survival Training and Savant. I really wanted Aura, but should be able to buy it later. It might also be unnecessary, since it was essentially ki/qi/chi energy which I could pick up in other jumps. Since I was male I'd stick with a male body, which left 100 choice points. Money was always going to be useful especially if I used the Gamer ability to convert currency later, so I picked up 50,000 PokeDollars and a Rebreather that "lasts forever" according to the doc. Checking with Jump-chan got "indestructible" and "will return to my inventory, backpack, or warehouse if lost" added to that, which was suspiciously generous of her. Being able to breath in any environment with sufficient oxygen was good, though.

That left me with a highly fit thirteen-year-old body that was unable to speak but could make other noises, psionic powers beginning with telepathy and basic telekinesis with the option to greatly expand my repertoire, and innate survival and parkour skills. I'd be reasonable wealthy but not as prepared as I'd like, even with the free starting gear including what was essentially a Bag of Holding, a mute-able PokéGear (what is that, anyway?), a filled PokéDex (Professor Oak might find that useful), five PokéBalls, three Potions, and a red hat. Also I'd be swarmed by zubats whenever it was funny, inconvenient, etc. I really hoped there was an area-affect psychic move I could learn to make that less of an issue, but I hadn't played the games or watched the cartoons in over a decade. The memories of my new body might help with that, come to think of it. Savant granting me perfect memory, calculator-like mental math, improved spatial awareness, and what I assumed was ridiculously good aim with a gun certainly would. I didn't think I'd be acquiring a gun anywhere in the Pokémon universe, though. As soon as I'd finished reviewing my choices and nodding to myself that everything was as it should be, I hit the finalize button. The console disappeared and I was sucked into the darkness with only Washu's "Good luck!" to reassure me.

Edit: There were a few uses of present-tense that should have been past-tense and I did a little bit of formatting work. Also edited thanks to johnworm pointing out I as the author was using a different form of rule 4, which stated Jump-chan could only pick Jumps and Perks. She can in fact also pick Drawbacks and Backgrounds.


	2. Chapter 2

So, apparently waking up surrounded by unconscious zubats was a thing. Also this world appeared to literally be animated. My body was wiry, everything looked a little too big (and animated - did I mention animated?), and I had a headache. I had no idea the drawback shenanigans would begin before I even arrived, or that Washu would take the cartoon thing this far. Taking a look around revealed that I was in a garden area adjacent to a walkway between two apartment buildings and it was night time. I had my backpack on and an adorable fuzzy critter with lots of fluffy tails sniffing my face. The new memories streaming into my head (and not helping with my headache at all) indicated we'd met six months ago when I rescued her from a shelter. I'd been attacked by the flying rats (zubats) shortly after the sun had finally dropped below the horizon, and was across town from my apartment.

I had no idea I'd start the Jump knowing an actual psychic attack, and I really wasn't sure which one it was I'd used or if it even had a name. I'd apparently just tried throwing mental power at the darn things and doing so knocked me out after a while. During the entire encounter my vulpix had defended me from actual physical harm, and had gotten away with surprisingly few injuries. Knowing the vulpix was probably the equivalent of level five or lower, that was suspiciously easy. The drawback text HAD specified the zubats would be easily beaten, though. Hopefully they didn't scale up with my own skill or that of my pokémon. I didn't want to be knocked unconscious every time that particular quirk came up.

Patting my vulpix on the head, I tried to stand. I was wobbly at first, and memories were still flooding in. It had a name...what was it? Please tell me I didn't name it something stupid.

"_You didn't_," I heard more in my head than with my ears. Was that Washu? "_Yes, and you still need to choose a name for your yourself and your partner. I can't fill in all of the details and get you fully integrated into your new universe without that data. Get to it!_"

Trying to think of names while being bombarded with new memories proved difficult, but I eventually settled on a name for myself. I often used Wrin as an online user name, but it had taken on kind of a feminine cast over the years I'd used it (and played a wide variety of female characters). I'd go with the more masculine Wren for now, and Black for a family name since it was easy to remember and reminded me of all the ridiculous Harry Potter fanfiction I'd read.

"_Wren. Gaelic for ruler. Cute. Also, just for that if you visit the Potter-verse you're going to be a metamorph, and a Black by blood_," Washu muttered in my mind as I felt the memories shift to include a family history. Being in my thirties when I was taken for the Jump-chain meant the thirteen years of memories pouring into my head weren't going to completely overwrite who I was, but dear Jump-chan was it confusing me trying to reconcile the two lives! Hopefully that would become easier with time. Oh! There were the memories of learning to speak via telepathy. Neat.

"_Now, a name for the furball?_" Washu asked as I assimilated the fact that I'd been effectively mute for this entire life. My parents had told me to visit Saffron city to learn from the only widely-known psychic human other than myself, the Gym Leader Sabrina. It was already informally arranged and she'd be expecting me, but knew I couldn't use phones for vocal communication so the schedule was pretty loose. I wasn't expected to make a real pokémon journey, but my parents had encouraged me to treat this as a one anyway. Apparently it was both a coming-of-age ritual-type-thing and a way to get me some real-world experience before I settled down with a job and a family. What the hell kind of place let preteens and young teenagers venture into the wild on their own, anyway? It seemed like a bad idea to me. At least mine was more like an unsupervised trip to a boarding school, since I was going to be staying with Sabrina for quite a while.

"_You knew this was coming. It's Pokémon. Also, your Vulpix needs a name. Now_," echoed in my mind at a slightly higher volume, if you could call it that. With more force, at least. I tried to come up with something appropriate, since I didn't want Washu annoyed with me. Aiming back at the voice in my head didn't take too much in the way of mental contortions, and I directed my mental voice in that direction.

"_Shouldn't I ask the creature I'm supposed to be naming at least?_"

Since I got no reply, I mentally aimed at the Vulpix who was now sitting at my feet staring up at me. I had a decent idea, but I'd run it by the little fox-thing first.

"_How would you like to be called Ember?_"

The little Vulpix cocked its head to one side as if in thought, which was absolutely adorable. Then it nodded, and I felt a faint sense of approval from it. Without waiting for me to address her, Jump-chan finished my background and I suddenly remembered asking that question when I first picked Ember up at the shelter. I nodded back at the Vulpix, unsure exactly how that worked with the timeline but not really caring enough to ask.

Deciding to take stock of my belongings before I continued, I sat down and pulled Ember into my lap so I could pet her for a while. With only one of my hands now free, I checked my belt. Five PokéBalls and a PokéDex on my belt, all which looked exactly like they did in the show. No wallet in my pockets, so all of it must be in my account accessible via my PokéGear. Apparently that was an unholy combination of a wristwatch and a flip phone that functioned much like the smart phones back home; complete with clock, navigation, telephone, radio, and identity/money management. I'd never trusted my phone with any personal information at home, but it seemed like I wouldn't have a choice here. There was a keyring with a single key on it, though.

My backpack came next, and it looked pretty normal. It was made from tough leather and canvas with a PokéBall logo on it; nothing extraordinary. Inside were a red hat, three spray bottles that I assumed were potions, and a rebreather that I wouldn't have recognized before the new memories.

'_Rules as written, indeed. No clothes or toiletries, no tent, no water, and no food. No basic tools, either. I'll have to either buy those or go back to the apartment I got with my background and hope there's something I can use_,' I thought to myself. Considering I'd apparently spent a the short walk back, promise of a place to sleep, and the fact that I had memories to consolidate, I decided to walk back to the apartment. On the way I spotted a PokéCenter with PokéMart, a bicycle maintenance store, the Viridian city gym, a grocery store, and several specialty shops ranging from books to tea. The city was definitely bigger than in Pokémon Blue (the only game I'd played), but not as big as I'd expect a real city to be. The city itself was surrounded by trees, with some large hills in the distance.

When I reached the apartment I unlocked the front door with the only key I had, then headed inside. It was fairly small, with a kitchen and living room in front and two bedrooms separated by a single bathroom in back. There was a note on the fridge informing me my parents weren't going to be back for a few weeks, and that I forgot to grab the stuff from my room but they'd left a message on my PokéGear to come back for it. Relieved both that I didn't have to deal with people that up to this point I'd never actually spoken to and that my background apparently DID include having personal belongings, I entered the room to see a lot of boxes and a pile of stuff on the bed. My bed. From when Jump-chan abducted me. It looked a little too big for the room, but at least it was familiar.

I found another note with the stuff, apparently from Jump-chan congratulating me on thinking logically and not racing off without any of the survival gear, clothing, etc. it had been implied but not explicitly stated I owned. I just got the impression she was being obnoxious because I'd started rules-lawyering almost as soon as she picked me up. Either way I now had a survival guide, multi-tool, canteen, field rations, supplies for Ember, a tent, a sleeping bag, camping dishes, toiletries, and a bunch of other fiddly things to stuff in my backpack.

I took the bag off and compared the size of it to the size of the pile, then remembered that the bag was described as "bigger on the inside." I really hoped that included "doesn't weigh a ton when stuffed full of camping gear," but I wasn't optimistic given the "rules as written" agreement. Sure enough, when I started to add things to the bag they fit just fine but it did get heavier. I'd have to limit the amount of stuff I kept or find a better bag, if one existed here. I vaguely remembered that they had ways to store and move both living and non-living things as energy, so there might be one available.

I was a little tired, which makes sense given that I was knocked unconscious rather than asleep before I got here. Ember could probably use some rest too, so I decided to spend one last night in the apartment before I headed out. After preparing a small meal for myself from the ingredients in the freezer and giving Ember food and water, I stripped down and prepared for bed. It was about then that I remembered that Ember wasn't a cat, and might need to go outside to relieve herself. My new memories showed that there would normally be a box with paper in it similar to a litter box indoors, but since I wasn't expected back for a long while it had been cleaned up and put away.

"_Ember_," I called out mentally. "_Do you need to go outside, since the box is put away?_"

It was only after I did it that I realized she wasn't even in the room with me, but the feelings I got back from her over the connection were mostly amusement. It took me a moment to sort out the rest, but when I did I headed back to the front door to find her patiently waiting. Opening the door for her and stepping out in only my short pants, and I kept an eye out for anything wrong while she did her business. I also contemplated the feedback I'd been getting from Ember. Washu had been able to communicate with me telepathically, and I was able to send my thoughts to her and my pokémon. What confused me was that I got anything back from Ember. Was it because I was focusing on her at the time? I hadn't sensed anything from anyone or anything I'd seen on the way back to the apartment, and I wasn't picking up emotions from Washu.

Washu herself might be immune to psionics and using my ability as an interface for her powers, so I couldn't really count on that. Ember, though...and now that I thought about it, I'd picked up things from my parents before too. Even words, but only after about my sixth birthday. Sometimes Mom or Dad would get my attention and I could sort of reach out to hear what they wanted me to. We'd share inside jokes, birthday plans, and other little secrets that way. How flexible was psionics, if I wasn't limited to actual Pokémon moves?

More memories flashed by. I'd levitated a glass to prevent it from breaking once, and I seemed to be aware as soon as someone unfamiliar entered the apartment. Could I stretch those; achieve some sort of psychic sonar? Float like Mew and MewTwo? Hmm...I remember the perk itself said it capped at the power of a Gardevoir. I had no idea what they could do, so I pulled out my PokéDex and looked it up.

Holy crap. That can't be right. Some gardevoir can create miniature **BLACK HOLES**!? They can **TELEPORT**!? Who wrote this Jump document!? Let's see...they could use Reflect, Psyshock, Future Sight, Energy Ball, Stored Power, Moonblast, Calm Mind, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, and a variety of other moves. How many of those are actually psychic, though? Hmm... Stored Power, Healing Wish, Confusion, and Teleport were all starting powers for it. I couldn't do any of that yet so I must be pretty far behind, but this power was looking better and better! Heal Pulse, Calm Mind, Psychic, Imprison, Future Sight, Hypnosis, and Dream Eater were also psychic moves a gardevoir could learn as it leveled up, and there were a ton of TMs and HMs I hadn't looked at yet.

I was going to learn to teleport and see the future. Neat. I wasn't sure I liked the idea of eating dreams, but maybe if I limited myself to nightmares it'd be ok? Oh. Oh, no. It damaged the target's health. Maybe just against bad guys then? Eh. I'd wait to make that decision. It wasn't like there were a dearth of jerks in the world, and it wasn't physical damage so it should heal with rest even if I used it on a human. Telepathy was apparently more useful than I thought, allowing some pokémon to speak mentally amongst themselves and to humans. It also seemed to include some level of feedback from the other participants, since it allowed them to anticipate allied attacks. I must be picking up limited information like emotions since I'd never used it that way. That was promising.

By the time I finished looking everything up Ember was already back inside and sleeping on my bed, and I'd gotten a couple of odd looks standing there with no shirt and a PokéDex at my front door from the few people who were still awake. I decided to call it a night.

When I woke up the next morning I felt great. Better than ever, really. The memories were coming more smoothly now, and I no longer had any trouble telling which ones were from my old life. I wondered if that was from Savant or just an effect of the Jump-Chain? Perfect memory was kind of ambiguous, but if Washu was still following the rules as written agreement...was it perfect by her standards? I tried remembering something from my first childhood, and while the memory was clearer than normal it wasn't what I'd call perfect. Then I tried remembering something from my childhood in the PokéVerse, and it was like I was there all over again. I remembered the exact date and everything I'd seen, heard, or otherwise sensed. If I'd looked at a clock or seen the sky recently I could estimate the time. It was almost overwhelming, really.

A wet nose and a pair of adorable almond eyes brought me out of my memory-induced shock. Ember was in my bed, and apparently she wanted attention. A few minutes of grooming and a mental query later, I let her out again to do her business. After that I got washed up and made breakfast for myself. Looking around the apartment, I wrote a note for my parents indicating I'd been back for my forgotten things and took out the garbage that had accumulated while I was there.

Now freshly changed into clean clothes and with the apartment pretty much as it was when I arrived, I scooped up Ember and locked the door behind me. When I turned around I noticed something else I hadn't anticipated: when an animal does its business, sometimes that business is solid. And you're expected to clean it up, you animal. I sighed softly, then remembered I had powers now and decided this would either be the greatest thing ever or I was going to make a terrific mess. Focusing on the odious leavings by the path, I attempted to pick them up with my mind. It worked, for a given value of success. They certainly moved, and they didn't explode like I was half-afraid they would. Unfortunately what they did was shoot straight up faster than I could track. Hopefully the wind would blow them over the forest, rather than onto someone's head.

I walked away with a shrug, heading south toward Pallet town. If I was going to interact with the plot in any way, I'd have to catch Ash in the first episode. I didn't remember enough of the cartoon to find him anywhere else. If I found him I could mess with him a bit and give him some advice, and if I missed him I'd still get to explore the easiest route in the games: Route One.

The route itself was fairly scenic, with only parts of the path overgrown to the point I'd have to walk through high grass or around other obstacles. There were pokémon basically everywhere, but there were some non-pokémon animals around too. I hadn't anticipated that, but it matched my new memories so I wasn't terribly worried. I was kind of surprised that I made it nearly an hour down the path before I encountered another trainer, and he seemed confused when I didn't shout back at him about accepting his challenge. Instead I just kept walking, Ember following closely behind me. He didn't seem to know how to respond to that.

Another thing that struck me was that none of the pokémon I'd encountered so far had tried to start a fight with me or Ember. The bug-looking ones (grass-types, I reminded myself) shied away from us, and the bird-types seemed more interested in the grass-types. I'm pretty sure most of what I saw were pidgeys, and rustling in the bushes indicated smaller things that might or might not have been more bugs. I thought there were rattata here in the game, but really didn't care. When the bugs got in the way I had Ember take care of them with the move I'd named her after. Fire breath was awesome, no matter what you called it. I can only assume the birds took care of them after that. When we were finally confronted by a rattata I aimed my thoughts at it and pushed a disinterested feeling at it. The poor thing was so confused it almost let us walk right by it, but when it tried to bite me Ember kind of tackled it away from me, then lit it on fire. I moved it off the path and left it passed out.

It was only a few minutes later that I heard a sound like a transformer overloading, and walked around some brush to a scene of devastation. There stood a kid with obnoxious hair, an injured Pikachu, a partially melted bicycle, and a bunch of Spearow either passed out or flying away. I had found the plot, apparently. Oh. And there was a giant legendary thunderbird flying overhead. Just for kicks, I directed my thoughts at it.

"Have a good day! Your plumage is very nice!"

The bird, apparently not expecting any sort of communication, faltered and dived into a short turn to look around. I waved at it, but didn't get an acknowledgement or even any emotions back from it.

"If you see Mew can you tell it I'd like a chance to meet?" I sent again. There was an emotional reaction that time, and I wasn't sure how to interpret it. It was pretty nuanced, but there seemed to be some annoyance layered over curiosity with amusement underneath it all. It turned back around a flew off after that, and I noticed a slightly older girl yelling at the boy with the weird hair. Assuming these were Misty and Ash, I approached them.

"You loser! Look what you did to my bike! You're gonna pay for that!"

You know, I don't think this is how it happened in the cartoon but it works for me. I pulled my PokéGear from my wrist and scrolled down to Officer Jenny's number, then tapped on Misty's shoulder. She spun around angrily, then looked at the contact I had highlighted. Nodding to herself, she took it from my hand and hit the icon to connect. It took her a little bit to convince the officer she hadn't stolen my PokéGear (I was mute, and this wasn't a text message), but she eventually got around to reporting the incident. In the meantime I grabbed a potion from my backpack and approached Ash. He seemed really nervous, which was understandable. He'd been chased by a bunch of potentially killer birds, his new pokémon was hurt, and now someone was calling the police on him.

When I handed him the spray bottle he looked a little confused, but turning it in his hand so the directions were visible got the message across. With a grateful look he went about treating his Pikachu, who seemed to perk up with each spritz. He still looked tired, but his wounds were closing at a downright supernatural pace. I wondered for a moment if that was magic, technology, or both before deciding it didn't matter unless I could learn how to make them.

Ember was sniffing around Misty's feet by then, probably trying to figure out why she smelled faintly of fish or something. She used water pokémon, so maybe she was making her hungry? Either way the girl seemed to have calmed down by now and was wrapping up her conversation, so she squatted down to pet my partner. I took a seat and pulled out my PokéDex to make a note of the Zapdos spotting and the Spearow attack that'd prompted Ash to "borrow" Misty's bike. They might be valuable to researchers or whatever form of wildlife control they had around here. When I finished, I found Misty handing me back my PokéGear.

"Thanks! Officer Jenny told me she'll be here soon with a car. Apparently she can give us a lift to Pallet Town or back to Viridian City after she gets our information." I nodded to her, took the device, and made first contact.

"I'm glad. Even with the potion I gave him, the kid's Pikachu isn't in great shape. It needs rest," I projected into Misty's mind. She jumped, then game me a look that of confusion that quickly switched to curiosity and excitement.

"You're like Sabrina! I've never met a psychic human before. Do you use telepathy for everything?" She asked. I ignored the startled noise from behind me, which I assumed was Ash catching the psychic part of the conversation. "Can you talk to your pokémon? Can you talk to MY pokémon!?"

"Please slow down," I replied. "Yes, I'm like Sabrina in that I'm psychic. Yes, I use telepathy for everything but that's mostly because I can't actually speak. You may have noticed that Office Jenny said I was mute?" A look of understanding crossed her face and she nodded, so I continued. "I can talk to pokémon the same as anyone else, but I don't really understand them any more than you do. Sometimes I get emotions back, but so far that's it. I'm actually headed to Saffron to meet Sabrina, and wanted to see if I could rent a boat in Pallet town."

"Wow! That's pretty cool. I don't know if they do boat rentals in Pallet town, though."

"They don't normally, but you could probably convince someone to take you to Cinnabar if you mention you helped me," Ash called from behind me. "Pikachu looks like he'll be alright now. Thanks."

I turned and nodded at him before glancing over at Pikachu. He was pretty chubby at the start of the series, and I was never sure if that was because the animators were new at it or because Oak spoiled him or something. Come to think of it, I wasn't entirely certain how the Professor had gotten a Pikachu. Wasn't Ash late to pick up a starter and all the normal ones were gone? It didn't really matter to me all that much, so I let it go.

Sensing that I wasn't going to talk much, Ash and Misty struck up a conversation. I think I heard her call him "kid" or "twerp" at least four times before Officer Jenny arrived. Ash was given a ticket that his mother was probably going to have to pay in order to replace Misty's bike, Misty decided to stick by Ash until she got a new bicycle, and I was offered a ride back to the Viridian PokéMart since Ash's Pikachu still wasn't at 100% and he didn't know if Professor Oak could heal the poor thing as quickly as Nurse Joy. Apparently I was walking the rest of the way to Pallet Town on my own. Now, what was I going to do with all these passed out birds?


	3. Chapter 3

I arrived in Pallet town around lunch time and immediately headed for the laboratory. I had a full PokéDex, and from checking it the thing wasn't just limited to Kanto's pokémon. One of Ash's goals had been to fill the PokéDex for Professor Oak, so I was going to finish that right away and hopefully get some form of compensation for it. At the very least I hoped he'd heal my new (unconscious) Spearow. Apparently it was exceptionally easy to catch a knocked-out pokémon in a PokéBall, which didn't really fit the games but wasn't a stretch for the show.

Not knowing whether or not anyone would be home, and not wanting to be rude, I knocked on the door. It was opened by Professor Oak himself, who for some reason reminded me of a gym teacher in a lab coat.

"_Professor Oak? I'm Wren Black_," I sent when he looked down at me. It only took him a moment to process the fact that I was using telepathy, which kind of surprised me. I didn't think human telepaths were all that common here.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"_I have some PokéDex information for you, and I was hoping you could heal my new Spearow. I should also report that a young boy was chased northward along route one by a flock of them, but I didn't get the whole story. Officer Jenny from Viridian has the details._"

"Oh my! I hope young Ash is alright. Please, come inside. I'm actually looking for as much PokéDex information as I can find after a particularly stubborn Pikachu caused a system crash this morning. As for your pokémon, I can transfer them to a PokéCenter electronically if you have them in PokéBalls. They'll heal them for free," he said as he guided me inside with a gentle hand on my back. I was shown to a seat near a computer terminal, where I handed over my PokéDex and addressed him.

"_Thank you, Professor. I'm not sure if the Spearow will actually want to stay with me since I caught him while he was unconscious, but at least he'll be healed enough for me to ask._"

"That's an unconventional way to make a capture, certainly. I'll warn Nurse Joy that it might not react well just in case. Now, let's see what you've got on your PokéDex."

I watched with baited breath as he pulled up another chair, connected the device, and started to scroll through the data. His eyes got wider and wider the more he read. By the time he reached my latest entries regarding the Spearow attack and the Zapdos I'd observed on the way here, I thought they might be about to pop out of their sockets. He began frantically typing and clicking away at the device, probably checking for inconsistencies and copying files. When he finally turned back to me he looked thrilled.

"Well my boy, I'm not sure how you managed to gather so much data even with a second-hand National PokéDex. I'm grateful, but it's like a gift from above to recover all the basic data I had and more less than a day after I lost it. I'll still need to restart a lot of my studies of course, but your help has been invaluable. If there's anything I can do to help while we wait for your spearow to come back, please let me know!"

I handed him my spearow's PokéBall, and he slotted it into a machine beside the computer. He spent a few minutes of typing and the ball disappeared in a red light. When he turned back to me and offered refreshments, I eagerly accepted and he left up the stairs into another part of the building after warning me not to touch any of the equipment. Considering the fact that my body was thirteen years old I didn't blame him for the warning, and I just grabbed a book from the shelf and started reading. A few minutes later he came back with a plate of sandwiches and some bottled water, which he set on the desk and indicated I could have.

"The bathroom is up the stairs, through the door, and on the left. I need to check in with Officer Jenny and go through the data you brought in. Garbage and recycling are under the desk," he said distractedly as he sat back at the computer he'd used to download the information from my PokéDex. He idly disconnected it and set it off to the side, then started doing what I could only assume was work. It might have been Tetris, for all I know. I was too busy with food and trying to figure out how not to screw up the plot of a game/anime I remembered almost nothing about. Then I remembered Washu telling me it didn't matter, and I nearly groaned out loud. Thinking back over my conversation with her I remembered that she'd said I was an experiment, but I also had to be entertaining. I didn't know how much mileage she'd get out of my screwing with Ash earlier (he didn't even seem to notice I'd been the one to suggest law enforcement after I gave him the potion!) or if anything would even happen with Zapdos and Mew. Come to think of it, I should have sent him a bill or something for the potion.

What I really wanted to do was get to Saffron as soon as possible and get my psionic ability trained up as far as I could with Sabrina, but I had no idea how long that would take. Washu was a multi-dimensional creator deity, so her patience was probably considerable...but she was also Washu. For all I knew she could be watching the fallout of my dropping tons of data on Professor Oak and laughing her head off, or she could be getting impatient enough to start collecting- oh dear. A zubat just hit the window. In broad daylight. I started to panic, thinking this was the vengeance of Washu for even contemplating the possibility of spending the majority of my jump indoors learning things.

A curse from the professor reminded me of his presence, and he called one of his lab techs to go clean the damn thing off the window. Maybe that meant this wasn't terribly uncommon here? Bats in my home world ate mosquitos and other insects after all. Then again, they also had a form of sonar which would have easily detected a window. I prayed both that this universe didn't run on the "rule of funny" and that Washu wasn't mad at or bored with me, then decided it would probably be a good idea to leave.

"_Professor? When my Spearow is healed and we've decided whether it will come with me or not, can you show me how to permanently release a pokémon from its ball? I also need to find transport to Saffron city. I was hoping I could get to the Safari Zone by boat from here._"

"What? Oh! Yes, that won't be a problem. Most people don't need to know how to reset a PokéBall, but it's not difficult. With the amount of time you've saved me gathering data I can have a helicopter pick you up and take you to Saffron. I get a discount as a Professor."

Well that was ridiculous, but I wasn't going to complain. I asked him if I could train Ember out front and he agreed without even looking at me, so I headed out with her and started running laps around the yard with her. She seemed to enjoy it, and we were only attacked by zubats twice! When Ember's little growls, barks, and yips turned into a full-blown roar and scared the rest of the second batch away I gave her so many treats her stomach looked all bloated! She seemed quite pleased with herself, and the hour-long grooming session after the treats made her even happier. Not only was my little girl growing up, she'd learned how to counter one of my drawbacks!

We worked on her ability to produce fire after that, with me coaching her to try and alternately produce sustained gouts of flame instead of single bursts and larger bursts when she did it the normal way. Since she could understand me but I couldn't really understand her, we didn't get very far. She kept getting frustrated and eventually tired out, while I started working on my telekinesis.

By the time Professor Oak joined us outside Ember was napping in the sun and I had twenty blades of grass swirling in complicated patterns around and in front of me. I'd also launched several rocks, clods of dirt, clumps of grass, and quite a few individual blades of grass into the air before I got to the point where I could keep them where I wanted them. Most of the heavier stuff had come back down within visual range, so I'd kept using it until it got lost or I accidentally crushed it. Sweat was pouring down my face and back and my head was getting kind of foggy but I'd made a lot of progress. It seemed like the perfect memory aspect of Savant was playing heavily in my favor for learning, but that also meant I'd probably reach a limit to what I could learn with Sabrina pretty quickly. And that meant more time I'd have to interact with the world. Joy.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. At the gym I'd have plenty of help removing annoying zubats, and I could go to college or something in Saffron when I was done. Maybe Sabrina would even let me live and work at the gym when she finished tutoring me, so I could keep up with the bills too? Washu was the scientist after all, so she'd probably support continued education. I'd been a programmer in my previous life, so I could study biology and languages in this new one. That'd help with shape-shifting and communication in future jumps. If I still had time after that I could pursue computer science again to learn the native languages and reinforce my own knowledge thanks to Savant. Maybe there were computational solutions here that didn't exist yet in my old world? They had matter to energy conversion and teleportation after all! Come to think of it, electrical engineering would probably be just as important.

"_You're seriously going to spend this entire jump either being a student or messing with people?_" Washu's voice echoed in my head. She didn't seem to be annoyed, but I didn't hear any amusement either.

"_I'd like to_," I replied. "_I can also practice martial arts, applied survival skills, and parkour. You said I had to be entertaining, but I got the feeling your main goal for me was to gain power. Knowledge is power._"

"_Yes, it is. And you are technically going along with the experiment, even if it's not a very fun way to do it. I can watch some of your alternates more closely for a while, and maybe check in on your wife. I hope you know you're going to need to be at least a little more exciting next Jump, though. And I expect you to put in a lot of effort to be entertaining in any jumps after that where it's not really life-threatening! Especially if you know a lot about the setting!_"

That sounded like permission to grind the rest of this Jump. I liked grinding. I was GOOD at grinding. And I had a lot of patience, even if it was going to be irritating being a student again. Given that I still might not be busy the whole decade given Savant's boost to learning via perfect memory and calculation...I finally knew what I was doing. Hopefully Washu could montage away a crap-ton of education and private tuition, because after that I was going to start trolling some legendary pokémon! And if I could pick up a friend or two along the way, well that would be just grand.

Wait.

"_Checking in on my wife? How is she? What's she up to? Can I talk to her? Washu? Washuuuuu?_"


	4. Chapter 4

I spent a little over a year with Sabrina (who was seriously unbalanced, by the way) learning new ways to use my psychic power and refining my technique. It turned out that teleportation is easy, but logic-breaking drawbacks sometimes meant the zubats followed you when you teleported to the bathroom to avoid a swarm. The gym leader was not happy to find me levitating hordes of the damn things out of the restroom, and the people in the gym were laughing at me for weeks. Including Sabrina, when she thought I wasn't looking.

Swapping places with allies was only a bit harder than regular teleportation, and I figured out how to do it with inanimate objects too (because appearing to be a ninja amused me). The more I learned the more I started to get flashes of what people were going to do or say before they actually did them, and for a while I had one of the gym flunkies convinced I could read his mind by answering questions he hadn't asked me yet. Unfortunately actual mind-reading is beyond me, at least for this Jump. When the guy finally figured it out Sabrina collected a lot of bets, which just goes to show how much better a precog she is than me.

Using the same technique I'd otherwise used for teleportation to stretch or compress space was interesting, but holding it for any length of time was exhausting. According to the PokéDex there were reported instances of gardevoir creating tiny black holes using the technique (still ridiculous!), but I eventually came to the conclusion that no matter how quickly I learned finesse (which DID help), I wouldn't have the actual **power** for that without decades of practice. I also didn't want to be turned into spaghetti and sucked into the gravity well of my own idiotic attempt to dispose of some piece of garbage or another. I wondered what would happen if I put a black hole in the middle of a swarm of zubats. Would that count as catching them? Probably not. They would definitely be defeated, though.

It was also around that time I started seeing some really strange stuff when people were sleeping nearby, and Sabrina shut me down hard when she figured out I'd manifested some strange variant of Dream Eater. Her strangely silent student (that's me) got an earful about violating people's privacy and then a few days of lectures on how not to do it, since I hadn't yet figured out how to stop. She showed me how the technique was supposed to be done, and it turned out that once I'd connected to someone's dreams I could alter them, suppress them, or drain them for energy as was normal for the technique. She ended up calling my technique Dream Walk instead of Dream Eater, since it did more. She also figured out how to do it on her own and got a **lot** spookier. I never wanted to get a wake-up call from Sabrina again. So. Many. Zubats!

The only other way I could fold space easily was making myself basically weightless. I think that must have been guaranteed by Psionics since it explicitly capped the skill at gardevoir levels and they **all** had that ability. Using this I was able to pull off unassisted flight by combining it with telekinesis, but learned the hard way to stop slowly. It did not reduce inertia, at least not the way I was doing it. Something to figure out in the future, I guess. I was also doing it wrong, not that I knew that at the time.

Barriers were taught next, and I figured out how to block and reflect physical projectiles well before I understood Light Screen. I could simply stop physical things will a wall of force or reflect them with a bit of force and (brief) space-bending so they went back where they came from. In order to learn to block attacks that had no physical form I had to figure out how to wrap my head around a whole new set of concepts, which was like learning how to bend space all over again. It was a little like theoretical physics and a little like magic, in that some things just arbitrarily did or didn't work. While practicing for it at one point I plucked at something I shouldn't have and messed up time in the training room, for which I got yelled at. Untangling that mess with Sabrina taught me how to speed up and slow down a target's thought processes kind of like a poor-man's Haste/Slow spell, which led into other status effects.

Inflicting status effects (though that's not what they call it here) was easy enough, but I couldn't do them the same way they were demonstrated. It was more like I learned how to confuse, disquiet, and put people to sleep separately and could also hit them with telekinesis if I wanted to. Sabrina assured me it wasn't unusual for people to have different abilities, which also helped when I learned I couldn't use Imprison properly. Locking down someone's ability to use abilities I also knew would have been great, but I ended up with a sort of counter technique instead where I just cancelled things as they came at me instead of preventing them altogether.

Buffing my own psychic power with what for pokémon was called Calm Mind actually got kind of ridiculous, especially when I applied it with my telekinesis. With enough concentration I could double my lifting power to a little over four tons, but it took all of my concentration to keep up the buff and apply telekinesis at the same time. In the games it always seemed like a useless move, but for me it was a god-send. A Washu-send? Jump-chan-send? Whatever. It let me pick up large vehicles and clear landslides without getting my hands dirty. Unfortunately that also meant I was often on clean-up duty when some idiot brought a rock-type pokémon to a psychic fight.

Far and away the most broken ability I learned had to be Rest. It's another one of those basically useless moves in the games, but when you think about what it does in reality it's kind of ridiculous. I basically put myself into a meditative state for about thirty seconds and wake up fully healed, even if I was poisoned or otherwise inconvenienced. I never tried it with severed limbs or anything, but it did fix a broken leg and a lot of burns I got while sparring with Ember. It also worked to reduce the amount of real sleep I needed, but would probably take me a long time to get it to the point where I could stop sleeping entirely.

At the end of it all Sabrina did allow me to stay on at the gym for spending money and helped get me enrolled at the local university. Strangely enough, I also started to hearing a faintly familiar tune in the background during the registration process. It didn't go away for days on end, and was starting to drive me a little nuts. When I finally got to the part where they were asking me if I knew what I wanted to study yet, the tune suddenly stopped. And then I heard it.

"_The day is approaching to give your best; you've got to reach your prime! That's when need to put yourself to the test, and show us the passage of time! You need a montage!_"

**OH DEAR GOD WHY!?** I thought **Washu** was going to watch this as a montage, not make me sit through one! Can I just be a normal student!? I hated studying, but I think my brain might explode if she stuffs it with all the degrees I had planned! And why did everything suddenly look like construction paper!? I was just getting used to everything being animated! Over the sound of the music and my frantic cries about losing control of my body, I heard Washu's laughter. I guess from her point of view this **would** be more entertaining than watching me learn stuff she already knew, but on my end it was turning into a time-bending acid trip with periods of blurred senses interspersed with scenes of me turning in assignments, being attacked by zubats, having my assignments destroyed by zubats, angrily stomping on zubats, and scratching out entries in the course catalogue. Not only was my headache rapidly growing to Olympian proportions, I felt like I was going to throw up. It kept going that way for what felt like two or three hours, ending only when I was presented with my final doctorate in Computer Science and passed out on stage. That same mad laughter followed me into darkness.

"_Wake up, Wren. Your headache should be gone now, and I need to get your new memories sorted out_," Washu's voice echoed through my brain. I opened my eyes blearily and reached for the night-stand to turn off my alarm clock. It was four in the morning and I'd apparently been montaged about seven years into the future, according to the calendar. Fuzzy memories of Ash stopping by a few times and eventually somehow mellowing out Sabrina clarified themselves into him losing like an idiot twice before someone apparently told him about the weakness of psychic-type pokémon to ghost types. Ash found and brought back a Haunter he caught but **never trained**. Sabrina had been so amused with it she'd had a reverse-breakdown and somehow merged a pair of remarkably stable split personalities to become less of a bitch. Oh, and I'd learned the local version of sign language at some point since people still got freaked out about me talking to them in their minds.

Proudly displayed on my wall were doctoral degrees in biological sciences, computer sciences, and electrical engineering. There was also something called a Master Certification in Pokémon Studies. A gentle push against my mind directed me to a heap of new memories, and I spent the rest of the day and the following week meditating on what I'd learned. I now knew about as much as anyone in the Pokémon world knew about the biology of humans, pokémon, plants, and a large variety of mundane animals. I could understand the principles behind Potions, Ethers, Revives, Vitamins and how they affected the body, but it would take some effort and equipment to make them. I had some theories on how they could be adapted to work on humans, and had written my thesis paper on the subject. This came with a complimentary Pokémon Studies certification, since I now understood their biology enough to be a researcher, breeder, or any of a wide variety of other uninteresting things.

Next came the computer science, which it seemed like I'd breezed through in basically no time at all. This world's computers worked much the same way as those in my old world as far as algorithms, data structures, and programming but they'd apparently taken a major developmental detour into quantum computing before they even started to think about parallel processing. Their understanding of physics was far superior to what I had in my old world, and I regretted not studying that since a lot of the things I now knew how to do were actually brute-force solutions that relied on the power of parallel quantum computing. I'd done my thesis here on the possibility that we were all living in a simulation, which amused Washu to no end and just made my colleagues mad. Yes, I was ripping off a thought experiment from my home world. No, I wasn't sorry. This place was animated! After the construction-paper montage I was sure Washu hadn't put me in a real universe, and that these people were actually more like AIs than anything else. I wasn't sure about Ember, but I hoped she was real.

Another nudge brought me to the electrical engineering section of my education, and I nearly shouted in joy. I'd thought by not studying physics as its own field that I wouldn't learn anything about how quantum computers actually achieved results on a hardware level. I was wrong. Not only did I now have the base-level knowledge I'd need to eventually develop my own quantum computer, I also had the base knowledge of how to build the devices that transformed matter into energy for transport across long distances. It bothered me that it wasn't space-folding, and that it theoretically destroyed the original and recreated whatever was being transported in another location. We used that on pokémon here. Every time you put a pokémon in a ball it effectively died. Apparently this had offended my montage-counterpart too, since my thesis paper was on a way to bend space inside the pokeball such that it reached into a sub-dimension instead. That thesis was then used as the basis for the development of Master Balls TM and had made the greedy university bastards a lot of money. It did help the gym though, since I got a small percentage.

After learning from my experience with the Master Balls (TM) I'd studied on my own until I'd been able to devise a way to make the old energy-transfer teleportation work with the new Master Ball (TM) technology. I never shared the research with the school. Did I mention that they trademarked and copyrighted my work with the Master Balls (TM)? I was a little annoyed at that. The software I released that allowed a ball to be transferred without breaking down anything in the pocket dimension was marketed through the Saffron city gym and the local PokéMart, which earned me a fair amount of money. I'd learned to fold space with my mind, so using the existing technology to transfer the link to the pocket space in the ball instead of everything in it wasn't terribly difficult. I'd upgraded my backpack, just because I could.

Well, that was fun. And I still had the montage song stuck in my head. Sabrina and several of the long-time gym flunkies had been getting on my case at every meal that I needed to do something other than study and meditate after I passed out at graduation and she had to drag me back to my room. I was beginning to understand what having siblings was like, and I wasn't sure I liked it. Plans from what seemed like a lifetime ago (but were really a montage and a week ago) floated through my head. I wrote Ash a bill for the potion I'd given him eight years ago and sent it to his PokéDex for giggles, then started gathering my gear for an epic journey. I was going to troll some legendaries, provided they hadn't already died in one of Ash's adventures. Hopefully there were actually more than one of most of them.


	5. Chapter 5

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div class="message-userContent lbContainer js-lbContainer hasThreadmark" style="box-sizing: border-box;" data-lb-id="post-40112189" data-lb-caption-desc="Wrin · Oct 9, 2017 at 3:03 PM"  
div class="bbWrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;"After clearing out my belongings into my newly upgraded backpack, I said my goodbyes to the sort-of-family I'd made at the gym in Saffron city. I told them I'd keep in touch, but I knew that if I spent enough time out there the jump was going to end and I might never decide to come back. It was kind of depressing, but I'd gotten good at emotionally distancing myself from even my closest colleagues even before Washu abducted me for the Jump-chain. I was even better at it now that I had years of practice with meditation and psionic trickery. It still hurt, but I was confident that I'd be able to move on given a little time and style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I'd already kind of done the same thing with my wife. I knew I wasn't going to see her for decades or even centuries, but I'd routinely taken advantage of both meditation techniques and Savant's perfect memory to preserve everything I did remember and lock it up so nobody would ever see it until I was ready to meet her again. Whenever I allowed myself to I still wept at the separation and ached for the distance from the one person I loved above all others, but I knew I couldn't keep her in my thoughts constantly or I'd start to lose that connection. Or go insane. Neither one was style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /With a sigh, I mentally prepared myself and teleported from my now barren bedroom to the outskirts of Saffron city. Those memories and the feelings associated with them would stay locked away for now, but I would revisit them periodically. Ember licked a tear from my face, and I started to rise into the air. There was only one legendary pokémon I thought I knew the location of, and that was Mew. Onward to the Tree of style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /It took several days to reach the utterly ridiculous crystalline tree since I had to actually leave Kanto to get there and didn't want to get wind burns. It was huge, and reminded my vaguely of the Yggdrasil of Norse legend. It was teeming with life to my senses, and seemed to have an intelligence of its own that permeated everything in the area. By this point I'd established a routine with Ember for when we landed: she'd hop out of my backpack to the ground carrying my sleeping bag, and I'd meditate for a while before we sparred. After that I'd us heal and set up the rest of the camping gear before we style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /This time it was a little different. Ember could sense something odd about the area, even if she didn't get the level of detail I did. I was starting to think she might be psychic too, since I could usually read her emotions to the point of actual communication now. She'd also gained a tail in the time since I'd gotten her, leaving her with seven fluffy things to chase when she was bored. She might have been doing that for my amusement though, based on the feelings I picked up from her. Either way, she stayed in my backpack, her little head poking out and looking around while I inspected the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Ember, I'm going to try and get in contact with someone up there. I don't like the idea of coming in uninvited, especially given the number of sentient beings I can sense up there. Please keep quiet unless you really need my attention, ok?/em" I projected to her. She tilted her head at me, which I knew by now was just to make her look cute, and nodded. I turned back to the massive tree and stretched out with my mind, broadcasting feelings of peace and interest in my best approximation of a style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The response was immediate and overwhelming. The tree itself seemed to shudder slightly, and the previously dispersed consciousness I'd been feeling in the area turned to me with a razor sharpness that forced me to my knees. I tried to broadcast back a feeling of slight pain and bowing under great pressure followed by regret and more hope, but it didn't seem to make any difference. I felt like I was under a microscope pressed between two slides and being examined down to my very soul, and that might not have been far off. In the distance I saw pokémon gathering on one of the branches facing me, but couldn't make out much in the way of style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The presence of the tree doubled down on the pressure, and I closed my eyes in pain. The only things I could do here were to flee or gamble. I opened my mind to the presence, and let it judge my thoughts and intentions. Since those intentions were to explore, learn, talk to Mew, and hopefully mess with other pokémon after I left I wasn't sure how this was going to go. I wasn't here for any altruistic reason, and it'd been a long time since I celebrated Arbor Day. That last thought caught me off-guard and I chuckled a little through gritted teeth. I was pretty sure whatever was doing this could turn my brain into putty, so I really hoped it understood me and wasn't style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The sudden lessening of pressure and odd giggle in my head almost made me fall over. The presence I'd felt was greatly reduced, and seemed to have broken into multiple parts. One of those parts, a very strong one, was headed my way. It felt both ancient and innocent, and seemed to be the source of the merriment buzzing through my skull. I opened my eyes as it drew closer, and my breath caught. Mew. I still didn't know if it was span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"a/span mew or span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"the/span Mew, but I was kneeling in front of one of the most powerfully psychic creatures in this world. I'd planned to try and communicate with it, but I suddenly had no idea what I wanted to style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /It seemed to sense my awe and did a little bob in the air, then flew so close to my face we our noses were practically touching. Much like the massive presence before but with a much gentler touch, it seemed to be judging me. I abruptly realized I could actually feel it perusing my memories, and the speed at which it did so left me gaping. There was a faint flash of anger, then relief as it looked over my last few years here before it started into my first life and early childhood. There was some concern, but it was overshadowed by curiosity and amusement until it reached the only Pokémon movie I remembered, and the subject of it: Mewtwo. Cloned pokémon. World domination and potential style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Rage burned through my head, pouring outward and making me feel like my very blood was on fire. Mew's head contacted mine, and the memories became sharp and clear. After spending several seconds examining every bit of information on the creation of cloned pokémon, it focused on Ash and the circumstances of his interference. The rage cooled, replaced with resignation then determination. My eyes were fluttering uncontrollably, blood was starting to leak from my nose, and both my thoughts and my vision were growing style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I felt Mew's forehead leave mine, and a sensation of weightlessness settled over me much like when I used my own anti-gravity technique. I felt Ember pawing frantically at the back of my neck and nudging me with her nose, but couldn't gather the energy to move so I tried desperately to broadcast a sense of reassurance to my closest friend in this world. It must have worked, since she calmed down and wrapped herself around my neck and shoulders. What little vision I had remaining revealed a chamber composed entirely of luminescent green and cyan crystals, with several dark shapes following. A cool, androgynous voice echoed in my mind as I lost style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Rest now, young man. You have made me aware of much I did not know, but you must recover before we can speak further. Meanwhile, I have my own tasks to accomplish./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Since when did Mew talk?br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I woke to soft clicking noises and Ember snoring beside me. I was leaned up against a hard surface, and a little cramped. Cracking an eyelid revealed the same chamber from before with its dim lighting and dark shapes moving around the edges. I felt like I'd run a marathon and then run head-first into a wall several times, but nothing seemed to be attacking me. The shapes eventually resolved themselves into pokémon of various sorts, some of which appeared to be related to a certain eldritch abomination who shall not be named. I shuddered for a moment and really hoped nobody in this world ever had to deal with anything truly Lovecraftian. Even if it was animated. And maybe a simulation. The locals really didn't seem to like last idea though, so I was going to keep quiet about it. Reaching up to my face revealed dried blood running from my nose down my chin and into my shirt. I really hoped Mew wasn't going to do that again. It was so much more powerful than me there was no way I could defend myself, and if I died...my agreement with Washu meant I'd have to start the Jump over, and I doubted Ember would remember me then. She was the only one I span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"hadn't/span distanced myself from emotionally, since I'd been depending on her coming with me throughout the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /My thoughts turned to recovery, and with it my most abused ability other than telepathy: Rest. I did my best approximation of my normal meditative pose and dropped into a deep trance, waking up later feeling a lot better. I had no idea whether it had taken the normal thirty seconds or if it had been longer due to the extent of the damage, but Ember was still snoring beside me and the cave looked unchanged aside from some of the Pokémon being in different positions. With my vision now cleared I was able to make out a bunch of kabuto scuttling around and a pair of kabutops watching them from the only obvious entrance. The horrible tentacled beasts I'd seen earlier turned out to be omanytes and and omastars. All of those were believed to be extinct by scholars, but apparently said scholars were mistaken. It didn't surprise me. Very few of them believed in Mew, Zapdos, or any of the other legendary pokémon that had been in the PokeDex I arrived in this world with. There was a flash of light that left spots in my eyes, and Mew once again floated up to style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Welcome back, young one. I believe we have much to discuss," came the androgynous voice from before my impromptu nap. "You have been asleep for most of a day, but we have provided for your companion. She thinks very well of you./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I blinked, trying to process that. Apparently Mew was much better at communicating with other pokémon than I was, which again did not surprise me. Now that I was here with Mew though, I had some questions and some requests. Hopefully I'd be able to bargain for what I style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Great Mew/em," I started and immediately received a slightly scolding but mostly amused telekinetic bonk on the head. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I would like to learn from you/em," I continued. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You have read my life and my goals, so I offer my assistance to you for my remaining time here in exchange for such knowledge. The only things I refuse to do are neglect Ember or harm an innocent./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The amusement came back, along with some regret. I wondered what it was for, but didn't want to style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Young man... Wren. You have already done much in allowing me to read your thoughts and memories. More than you can possibly imagine, in truth. While reading your life I injured you, which was not my intent. I will teach you what I can, but much of it you will not master until long after you have left this world. In exchange I ask only that you continue to care for pokémon as sentient beings, that you always treat Ember with love and respect, and that you take no more pokémon with you when your Jump ends./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I nodded my head at that, regretting that I wouldn't be able to take more companions but understanding that those not already bonded with me didn't understand they would eventually be leaving their home world behind. Mew's request was reasonable, and might ultimately be for the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Would you agree with the caveat that any pokémon who understands the situation before bonding may come with me?/em" I sent back style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"No/em," Mew responded in mild rebuke. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I have spoken with many since you fell unconscious, and while your request is reasonable it is also unacceptable. If you do not agree to this last condition I will be forced to keep you here and take your pokéballs from you. You would still be allowed to observe us and learn, but I would not teach you./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Then I don't believe I have any choice but to accept/em," I replied. I wasn't really bitter, but a some sort of regret must have made it into the telepathic message. Mew's features softened a bit, and he gazed at me for a moment as if considering something before he addressed me style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You seem unfamiliar with much of our world despite having lived here for so long, but there is one name I saw in your memories that I must address: Arceus./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I jumped a little at the name. While I'd never played any games or seen any media including Arceus I knew it was at least suspected to be the creator god of this universe. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with the that. It said something of the absolute insanity of this world that it was capturable in the games. This also meant that Mew had pieced together much or span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"ALL/span of the things I'd ever heard about the Pokémon franchise, not just the things I remembered playing or style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Yes, you understand. I have spoken with Arceus and many of the other pokémon you refer to as legendaries during your rest, and we have come to the conclusion that certain events cannot be allowed to occur as they do in your memories. You have so little knowledge of us from before, but what it shows when added together is that we cannot trust the humans any longer./em" Well, that was ominous. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Your will become one of us if you agree to it. The other humans will find that our kind are disappearing all over the world. It will take time, but a new realm is being forged in which we can live separate from those who threaten to destabilize creation itself./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You're going to pull an esper?/em" I asked incredulously. The blank look I got back at that prompted me to push forward my memories of Final Fantasy Six (it was three in America!) and the atrocities committed against espers after the war of the magi. I made sure to include Kefka finding the entrance to the world of the espers and unlocking it to make victims of those inside. Mew reeled back as if style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"No. No, we will not leave behind a way for them to reach us or any of our kind. I will make sure of that. The humans with powers that could reach us will be dealt with./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Definitely ominous. I thought Mew was supposed to be all cute and innocent, but I'd badly misjudged the personality of a creature that had lived for millennia. Was I going to be responsible of the deaths of all those people? Wasn't there another way? I concentrated on sending my worry and concern to Mew, and it looked almost disappointed in style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"We will not kill them unless forced to do so. The most gifted of us can take away those powers humans have learned or inherited from pokémon, and we are already doing so. What remains of this world when the separation is complete will be devoid of magic as you know it, and devoid of psychic power unless they later develop it on their own. By then the worlds will have drifted far enough apart that they cannot be rejoined./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"So that's it then. I wasn't exactly planning on destroying the world when I came here, I just wanted to learn!/em" I cried. This would cause most of the human infrastructure to collapse, since a great deal of the world's economy and transportation was based on pokémon. Sabrina and all those like her would lose something they'd relied on all their lives, and that was before any changes to the landscape itself were taken into account. Geological changes on the level implied could sink continents, unleash tidal waves, change the temperature and atmospheric content of the planet, create or destroy volcanoes, and much more! "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Please, tell me there's something I can do to stop this, or at least minimize the loss of life!?/em" I style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You've forgotten/em," Mew explained patiently to me, "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"that I have read your life. You have forgotten that Arceus span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"created/span this world. Care will be taken. We will not crack the planet when we leave. We, you and I and all the pokémon in this world, will lend our power to Arceus and he will forcefully split the universe in two. In one, humans will live on and we will be gone. In the other, humans will be gone and we will live on. For us the human structures will crumble to dust and nature will take the remains, while for them the magic of places like the Tree of Beginning will fade and they will similarly crumble./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I sagged, relief warring with awe. It would work, if they truly had the power to do it. The deity that created this world might actually be able to split it into different planes of existence, or different timelines, or however it would work. The knowledge and power required were literally incalculable, but from what little I knew of magic and science it was theoretically possible. They would take me with them and teach me, and I would be gone in two years. Then the two...places...would be completely segregated. Pokémon on one side, and humans on the other. I idly wondered how that would work with non-pokémon life-forms, but decided that someone splitting the universe in two after having created it the first time could probably afford to duplicate a huge number of non-sentient beings and plant-life style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Understanding dawned. This was not a simulation. This was not a dream. I was in a Jump-chain, and the span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"goddess/span Washu had sent me to an span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"actual/span world that was about to be torn apart. The whole animation thing was either a change in the biology of my eyes or brain or it was Washu messing with me. I'd never mentioned it to anyone else. Oh, and I'd just instigated the coming universe-wide schism by accidentally relaying information I only barely remembered to an entity that could and span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"would/span do something about it. In the entire year plus montage I'd spent in this place I'd never regretted more that Savant only applied to memories acquired after I started style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I heard laughter inside my head. It was feminine and hysterical, and I did not appreciate it. I was having an existential crisis, damnit! Mew cocked its head at me and pressed one paw to my forehead, then closed its eyes. The world melted from cell-shaded into gritty reality, then I collapsed as my memories began to do the same. Why was everyone out to mess with my head? If this Jump had a title it should have been "In which everything gives Wren a headache." I was suddenly glad that I'd be getting Gamer's Mind in only a couple of style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /On the bright side, I didn't actually stay unconscious for any great length of time. Mew was still adorable when my vision swam back into focus, but was a little more alien in appearance now that I wasn't seeing everything through cell-shaded glasses as it were. It retracted its paw and crossed its little arms and stared at me, bobbing in mid-air just like it had style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You have a choice to make, Wren. Will you help us and receive instruction, or refuse and be trapped here as an observer until your time is up? Remember that your decision could also affect your ability to come back. The deity that sent you here may not allow you to return without Arceus's permission. If you aid us, we will also allow you to take one of our forms./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /My mind was racing, but it was going in circles. I couldn't change what was coming, and despite Mew's warning I very much doubt Arceus could stop Washu sending me back here or to another pokémon timeline entirely. He could destroy my soul or something equally horrible style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /'em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Ok, stop and think. What CAN I affect? I'll be here either way, and how I spend that time is about the only thing that changes with my choice. Actual tutelage is a lot more helpful than trying to learn by observation, and being changed into a pokémon will make...me...less.../em'br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"WASHU!/em" I shouted in my mind. If ever there was a time for rules-lawyering, it was now. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Washu, I need clarification!/em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Yes, oh destroyer of worlds?/em" She laughed at me. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"How may this humble deity serve the instigator of the biggest dramatic twist of any of his alternates?/em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /That was either very good or very bad, and I didn't think I had time to ask her to style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"If I take the shape-change, will it become an alternate form after the Jump ends?/em" I desperately projected at her. She needed no further prompting, and still seemed amused at the situation I'd landed myself style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Hmm...you know, I do believe it would. And THAT invokes the seventh rule we discussed, doesn't it? It would also make the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon jump I was going to spring on you negotiable, since you'd already have a supernatural form from the same branch of the multiverse. If you want to keep Jumping and eventually see your wife again, you have to say yes. Otherwise you violate the rule saying you must accept alternate forms as they come. That's actually a little depressing. I already knew which one you'd choose, but this cuts out some of the angsting./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /If I could have sweat-dropped like in anime, I would have. As it was I hung my head. There really wasn't any choice at all, was there? I looked up at the pokémon hovering in front of style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I'll help, but I want the form AND potential of a mew with a few tweaks. That includes Transform and the knowledge to use it./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Mew gazed at me levelly for a few moments, but seemed to be focused elsewhere. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You will become a male version of your partner, but both of you will gain the ability to use Transform/em," Mew projected grudgingly. "em style="box-sizing: border-box;"That is as far as I am allowed to negotiate./em"br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Then I can't say anything but yes,/em" I projected style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"You're going to be so. much. FUN!/em" Washu whispered. I know it was in my head, but it felt and sounded like she was whispering right into my ear. I shivered./div  
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	6. Chapter 6

Lending my help to Arceus's effort to split the universe in two apparently didn't require anything but my consent, and I can't help but think it was more a test than actual help. Immediately after Washu spoke to me I felt my willpower drain to the point I nearly lost consciousness. I slumped forward, and Mew landed softly on the ground before me. The rest of the pokémon in the room went still or sat down with the exception of Ember, who was still snoring beside me. It looked like the entire world was shaking, but I couldn't feel anything other than a strange sensation in my inner ear.

For a moment everything just stopped. There was no sound. My eyes wouldn't move. I couldn't inhale or exhale. I couldn't even panic. I felt numb, and seconds stretched into minutes. Time crashed back into the room like a train, and everything was suddenly MORE. Light was too bright, sound was too loud, and I could feel the minds of those around me like shining beacons in the darkness. I stretched my awareness as I'd done many times before, but even my awareness of other minds had been enhanced. And everything was bigger. Again. It's funny how I didn't even notice that I'd grown up during the stupid montage, but now it was glaringly obvious that I was tiny again. Oh. I was also furry.

Apparently I was a vulpix now. I had paws, and flexing them revealed a set of razor-sharp claws. I'd basically just escaped from having to make an awful choice due to a combination of pragmatism and rules I had to obey in order to see my wife again.

I was abruptly, and quite rudely, surrounded by zubats. I instinctively started roasting them with fire breath and whacking them with my new tails, but I was so tired from the whole world-splitting-thing that I wasn't going to be able to hold this for long. Thankfully, I had Ember. Dear, sweet Ember and her fire-breath. The smell of cooked zubat had become disturbingly attractive since I started this Jump. My mouth was watering. I glanced at Mew to see if it'd mind if I tasted one, only to be met with a reproachful look. Ember was busy chewing on one of the zubats which made me a little jealous, so I resolved not to try one until it left. It was delicious.

Learning to transform into other shapes took surprisingly little time. Annoying Mew by turning into its twin, thus circumventing the "we won't change you into a mew" thing was amazing. He probably knew I would do that anyway, but it was fun. Learning to use my aura to reinforce and speed up my body so I could pick up a boulder even in that form was even better. Spending the next two years watching as the pokémon around me became more and more wary of my presence was awful.

I still had Ember, and I did learn to understand what she and the other pokémon were saying at least. Mew trusted me to a certain extent and was willing to train with or teach me, but was difficult to pin down. The pink cat-thing didn't want to stay in one place! It was always flying off when I wanted a lesson, which I thought was quite rude. While the stupid cat-thing wasn't watching I experimented with smaller shifts like changing my fur and eye color, then my size, and finally turning into normal animals and even plants.

I pulled the "I'm a tree!" joke and got a chuckle from a few of the less distrustful pokémon, but earned a little more hate from the grass-types. Ember and I made adorable twins, and she taught me how to make my roar really intimidating and the dreaded puppy-dog-eyes attack. One of the few times Mew came back, it taught me how to use an all-purpose barrier move that was just plain better than the ones I'd been using previously. There was something about not being a proper mew if I couldn't surround myself in a pink bubble in there, so I turned mine to look like transparent glass as soon as the cat-thing left out of spite. On the bright side, I discovered that Mew's paws functioned like hands with two fingers and a thumb.

I spent the rest of the Jump upgrading my old pokéballs, sparring with Ember, and exploring. That meant I got to witness something spectacular only about a week before it was time to leave. My little Ember evolved into a nine-tails! I was friends with a kitsuné! So many fluffy tails to snuggle into! I was so busy grooming her and admiring her new form I almost forget to learn how to change into one. Almost.

Appearing in the circle of darkness again was honestly a relief. I glanced around and spotted Ember immediately behind me, sniffing the ground and being generally curious. We'd talked about what to expect, and aside from me still being a mew it wasn't anything different. Speaking of which, a quick transformation and I was human again. I hadn't been able to do that before the Jump ended, and this one didn't feel like it required any effort. Maybe that was because it was switching between my base form and an alternate form, so it was a Jump power instead of a real Pokémon ability? Regardless, I was me again and Ember was excited to see the form I'd had in my first life. I saw Washu appear at the edge of the shadows with a smirk on her face, but she gave Ember a few minutes to calm down.

"That was spectacular," she said as she stepped into the light. "If you'd actually been trying to derail the plot I would have clapped, but since you weren't I'll just say good job. You might not have found that Jump entertaining, but I loved it."

"_Thanks?_" I sent back at her telepathically, only to get a poke in the brain.

"You can use your mouth again, idiot," she admonished me with a smile. And she was right! I could talk again! It was liberating, knowing I had a fully-functional voice again. I looked back at her, and she dramatically snapped her fingers. In the distance a set of lights turned on, illuminating the inside wall of what was obviously a warehouse. More lights turned on in sequence lighting up the entire room we were standing in, which was nearly the size of a football field.

"Twenty thousand square feet, and it's all yours. Welcome to your Cosmic Warehouse! Now that you've completed the first jump you get to decorate this place and choose Body Mod options."

I blinked, then remembered. The cosmic warehouse was a storage/living area that would come with me through the entire Jump-chain, and would hopefully allow me to store all the stuff I hoard- collected. The stuff I collected. Body Mod was a series of enhancements that I could buy and apply to whatever form I was in at the time. Washu waved a hand, and a semi-transparent screen appeared in front of me with options for the Warehouse. There were only one hundred choice points to spend, but everything looked pretty cheap. I planned to be on the move a lot in the next Jump since I didn't like the idea of anyone from the Abyss being able to find me easily, so housing and utilities were a must.

Shelving was free, and apparently covered any available area I didn't fill with something else or need for walking. Electricity, plumbing, heat, and air-conditioning cost thirty choice points all-together. A force wall to prevent people from following me into the Warehouse was another twenty points. That left fifty points, and there was no way I was using a key or trying to find a door to get in. That meant I had to purchase the Portal option for thirty more points, but left me ten points shy of being able to purchase the Link option that would enable me to use the portals to fast travel. Meh. I had teleportation and flight, and I needed a place to actually **live** in here. Housing for the last twenty choice points it was. Since Ember could come with me in one of my modified PokéBalls and I had all the stuff needed to feed and groom her in my bag (including a variety of seeds to grow fruit and berries native to the PokéVerse), that should be plenty.

Washu quirked an eyebrow at me when I hit the option to finalize my purchases, then waved her hand. A fairly spacious home appeared in one corner, the warehouse door disappeared, electrical outlets appeared along the walls, I heard the sound of a fan starting, and finally shelves appeared in neat rows to occupy the remaining free space. The screen in front of me changed to show my options for upgrading my body, with six hundred choice points. Knowing that I was going into an Asian society I picked the light build so that I wouldn't stand out. Metavore was the easiest choice I'd ever made, allowing me to retain my fitness and appearance no matter what I ate as long as there was enough of it for only one hundred points.

I hit a bit of a snag looking at the rest of the options. I was trying to become a shapeshifter and was going to end up with video game stats, so Strength and Endurance would advance on their own and might change based on the body I was in. Being able to lift a particular amount as an ant or something similar would be great, but my stats would do almost the same thing if I trained them enough. Speed would probably turn out the same way, and I already had all the explicitly named benefits of the Dexterity modifiers from Pokémon's Parkour/Free Running benefit.

If I wanted to get the maximum benefit from this, I needed to take one of the body type options that came with additional bonuses. It should ideally contribute to Appeal, Shape, or Sense rather than any of the other basic stats. That left the Charmer and Bestial body types, and I was close enough to a furry already. No thanks. Selecting Charmer got me two free ranks in Appeal and Shape and a full three free ranks in Endowed at the cost of another one hundred points. Reading the description of Endowed was deeply disturbing. Three extra cup sizes or six extra inches to my package? I'm so I glad I negotiated to be able to turn these on and off. I could just imagine appearing as an eleven year old with horse or melon-sized genitals in a future jump. With the remaining four hundred points I could purchase eight ranks of stat boosts, so I went ahead and dumped everything into Appeal, Shape, and Sense. I would now always have flawless skin, a perfectly appealing body shape, and absurd visual, auditory, and olfactory senses. Absurd to the point of being able to see infrared and ultraviolet light, hear outside extra high and low frequency sounds, and smell things like a bloodhound [1]. I hit the button to finalize the purchase.

"Last one," Washu said with a gleam in her eyes. "For this one I've selected some stuff that you have to take, as per our agreement." The screen changed. My age was locked at twenty-two years old, and my background was locked as Player Two. That was apparently the only reasonable way to purchase all of The Gamer abilities, but it also said something about mandatory drawbacks. I scrolled down to them and nearly fell over. That was bad. Really bad. Apparently I was going to lose all of my previous powers for the duration of the Jump except for BodyMod and an empty copy of my Warehouse. I'd have made slightly different choices if I'd known that, like banking my Warehouse points. Would it just remove any items I left there, or would it mean the Warehouse was literally as empty as when I hadn't purchased anything? Would it even have shelves? Lighting? At least I could still Portal into it, but this had me a little worried. It meant I couldn't easily use it as a fallback location.

Great. I'd also have all my friends, companions, loved ones, etc drift away from me without them realizing it was happening. Some of them would even leave town. I might end up needing that given my some of the other drawbacks, but I hoped Ember was unaffected. I didn't think she officially counted as a companion, but I'd ask. The drawback was locked in anyway. Ah, there was what I was afraid of. Someone in the Abyss will be after me the whole jump, no matter how many of them I beat, dissuaded, or even killed. The Abyss in general would only be only peripherally aware of me, but there was always going to be at least one nutjob after my head for Washu-knows-what. Oh, and Gaia would target me with even worse luck than she did everyone else if I did anything unnatural to attract attention to myself from the normal folk. Gazed Into the Abyss, Abyss Gazed Back, and Disproportionate Retribution were going to get me killed.

Getting back to the perks, I tried to look on the bright side. There were all the Gamer abilities of course, and Instant Dungeon. That left me with four hundred choice points to spend. I went ahead and grabbed Legal Tender to get me started as my first 100cp gear purchase. That would be especially useful since it refilled at the start of every Jump that had a South Korea, and I could modify the type of currency using the inventory system. Money Through Gaming sounded like a nice way to make a living, so I picked it up as my first 100cp perk, then the complementary Gamer's Collection again for 50cp since it was discounted. That would get me a laptop, a handheld system, and a bunch of games for both along with a four to one time ratio while playing. If I played different games in one-hour intervals that should mean four times the income from playing games per hour.

I still had two hundred points. I could bank them, but... I tabbed back over to the Body Mod menu and picked up Ever-Cleansed for one hundred points, then banked the remaining hundred. I didn't like being dirty, and now I would always be clean and body-odor free. Before I hit complete I also switched back to the Pokémon Trainer jump and elected to keep both Silenced and Swarmed, but turned them off for now. They might be useful in later jumps if I wanted to negotiate with Washu. I was about to hit the finalize button when it occurred to me I'd forgotten something.

"Miss Washu?" I called. "Is it really necessary to touch the Gamer interface windows or call out my powers? Shouldn't I just be able to interface with the whole thing mentally? I'm going for a stealth run here since you made me such a target, and yelling about how I'm about to start sneaking or casting an invisibility spell just seems stupid."

"I wondered if you'd catch that," she replied. "I'd already planned to waive that requirement if you asked about it, since a few of your alternates have argued me around to it. Yes: you can interface with it manually or mentally. It's not god-like power if you have to shout the name of your technique, after all. Also, it's in the gameplay settings and Han Jee-Han does it unconsciously with the Inventory window all the time."

"Alright, then. Let's do this terrifying thing!" I recalled Ember to her (upgraded) PokéBall and hit the finalize button. Everything went dark.

[1]: This is one of those places where Jump-chan's doc differs from the posted one. The last two levels of Sense felt poorly worded and thought out to me.

Edited for corrections pointed out by johnworm and a couple of things I caught when going over it again. Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

"Wren, wake up! You're going to be late for class!"

What? I opened my eyes and sat up. There was a blue transparent window in front of me informing I'd slept in a bed and been healed, but I closed it with a thought. The window informing me of a new quest to go to class I ignored for the moment. I had an adult body again (thank Washu), but it was clearly Asian and stupidly pretty. Also I had a huge bulge in my pants that looked like it'd require me to wear special clothing. I mentally sighed, then reached inward mentally and projected "perks" as if I was still a telepath. That called up the Perks menu, and I shut off all three levels of Endowed and the last two ranks of Shape so I didn't stand out too much. I wasn't going to be worrying about sex while I was here if I could help it. This was going to be a hard Jump, and probably filled with horrible angst. I hated angst. I hated it more than I hated zubats that weren't cooked.

Since Washu had mentioned the gameplay settings, the next thing I did was call up the settings menu and switch to the gameplay settings tab. I switched the entry for automatically entering Instant Dungeons so it would prompt me, made sure that the mental interface was enabled as promised, then read over the description for "Show All the Things," and snorted. While I did occasionally like to number-crunch for maximum benefit, the Gamer ability alone was going to do most of that for me. I didn't need to actually see all the numbers, so I switched it to summary mode.

Closing the settings menu and opening the inventory, I went around and added a few changes of clothes, all the stuff from my Pokémon backpack, my wallet, my laptop, my handheld game system, and all of my games to my inventory. My school supplies went into the now empty backpack, then I unequipped my pyjama pants and threw them in the hamper. Checking the inventory window before I closed it revealed a little over one-hundred million Won, which was the local (grossly inflated) currency. Apparently my unspent PokeDollars had been saved and converted by the inventory system.

I didn't need a shower due to Ever-cleansed, but I went through my normal morning routine anyway. There always the possibility someone would notice I didn't do those things, or that Ever-cleansed didn't apply to my teeth or something. And what barbarian doesn't wash their hands after using the toilet?

Once I was dressed I made my way downstairs to see an empty apartment, despite having heard my mother's voice. That was weird. Was that my alarm or something? Either way I had some stuff to do first. The quest to get to class went to the side of my vision when I ignored it. Grabbing something from the refrigerator to eat, I sat down and methodically consumed whatever it was while going over the new memories I'd acquired when the Jump started. I was confused that there was no headache this time, but that could have been one of the Gamer powers.

My schedule for the day seemed to include several college courses in Computer Science (Data Structures and Algorithms AGAIN!?), which was both funny and annoying. I'd gotten degrees in that particular field twice now, and wasn't eager to do it again. I'd have to switch majors, test out, or drop out of school altogether. I didn't seem to have a job, which was just fine with me considering the perks I'd purchased and the danger I'd soon be in.

A small chime echoed in my mind, accompanied by another quest window popping up in front of me, and I moved it to the side of my vision with the other one. Oh, and there's my mother. Well, my mother for this Jump. She'd come in from a door I hadn't noticed earlier. At least that meant I didn't have an oddly specific alarm. Probably. I should check that.

"That was fast," she commented. "Will you be leaving soon?"

I nodded in the affirmative and she walked away. She was level nine, with the Single Mother title. Her name was a mess of unknown characters for a moment before the written Korean settled into my mind, which was odd but not worrying. Sujin Shin, eh? Guess I was adopted.

"I'll be at the office late again," she called from the laundry room. "We've got a release coming up, so all the quality assurance personnel are doing overtime."

"Alright, Mom. I'll leave you something for dinner unless I end up eating out," I called back. It was still a little strange using my voice after a decade of telepathy and hand gestures, but the new memories were helping to smooth that out. Shaking my head, I cleaned up my dishes and headed out.

The walk to school wasn't a terribly long one, and it gave me time to review the new quests. I'd practiced reading and walking in my first life, and this was only slightly more difficult. I accepted both [Get to Class] and [Continuing Education], and experienced a moment of near-hysterical glee on being reminded that I'd get experience points for doing everyday tasks. Gamer's Skills was awesome. Too bad I probably wouldn't be finishing the second one any time soon. Once I was done with the quest windows I started looking closely at basically everything and everyone I could while I walked. The first skill I remember Han Ji-Han gaining in the comic was [Observe], and skills were created by doing similar things repeatedly or remarkable things once. It only took a few minutes of active effort to create, and it leveled up several times as before I arrived on campus.

The day was long and boring, but I did ask each of my instructors about whether or not I could test out of their class. It took quite a lot of convincing for a couple of them, and the rest just said no. I got experience for arriving to my first class and for each time I successfully convinced someone to let me test out of something, which was great. What wasn't so great was that I was stuck in college for at least another semester after this one and I couldn't switch majors this late without having to stay longer. Even if I convinced my remaining instructors to let me test out of their courses I could only do that so many times before I needed more actual class time to graduate. I'd have to talk to a counselor. They might let me do correspondence courses for the rest of the credits. I'd just decided I'd go and see someone the next morning when a prompt popped up in front of me asking if I wanted to enter an Instant Dungeon.

Crap. It had been so long since I read The Gamer that I'd forgotten you could stumble into other people's Instant Dungeons. Not only had I not practiced how to detect, enter, exit, or destroy them: I also hadn't practiced any form of offense, defense, or much of anything else aside from observe. If I'd have stumbled into there it would have been a trial by fire.

I selected no, then surreptitiously glanced around. Everything looked normal, which made sense. The whole point of illusion barriers, instant dungeons, or whatever you wanted to call them was so normal people weren't affected by the mess that was the supernatural community, a.k.a the Abyss. I ducked down an alley and stopped in the shadow of one of the buildings. My shirt was white so I wasn't exactly doing a great job at stealth, but leaning against the wall and pretending to think about something allowed me to repeatedly [Observe] the area until I finally found something.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Stealth!]

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Instant Dungeon (Sense)!]

With the second dialog box came a wall of not-color that would have made my brain hurt were it not for all the psychic shenanigans I'd already been involved in. Now that I knew what I was looking for I observed it a few dozen more times just in case, grateful I'd had the forethought to look at the settings. For a moment I also wondered if Video and Sound settings tabs I'd seen had the animation tricks Washu had used on me in the last Jump. Having nothing further to do there, I continued home.

When I got back the apartment I apparently shared with my mother I went about preparing a generic stir-fry from the ingredients in the refrigerator. [Cooking] became a skill while I worked, but started at level one. I'd been very good at cooking in my first life so this kind of annoyed me, until I saw that food cooked using the Gamer ability actually restored hit points and could provide other benefits.

I wasn't actually hungry, but went ahead and ate anyway. Packaging the rest of the stir-fry and putting it in the fridge didn't take long, and washing the dishes afterward got me yet another skill. That was a little ridiculous, but certainly not unexpected given Han Jee-Han got the same skill in the comic. It was a little frustrating I wasn't getting quests for any of this, and I was starting to think it was because there was no one around to give them. Quests might require quest-givers. Who knew?

After dinner I went up to my room. If I was going to stay in this world for ten years, something like thirty seven hundred days, I was going to need offense, defense, healing, buffs, debuffs, stealth, information gathering, anti-information gathering, and a whole host of other things. I hadn't been hungry since I started the Jump, but I'd eaten breakfast and dinner anyway. I also didn't feel tired. That was probably going to save my life at some point. I closed the curtains of my room, opened my inventory, and switched back to pyjamas just in case. Setting my alarm took only a moment, then I crawled into bed and closed my eyes.

I did not sleep. Doing my best to sense the energy around me and in myself, I dropped into a light meditative trance. I may not have kept my psychic powers from the PokéVerse, but I still had a ton of knowledge and knew how to meditate for hours on end. It took a while, but eventually I started to see wisps of light that stayed around, rather than the normal flashes of light behind my eyelids. The longer I meditated the more defined they got, and the more I noticed that most of them were inside me or in my immediate vicinity. That just would not do. If I was letting off excess energy of any kind I'd be more visible to the supernatural.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Mystical Energy (Sense)!]

Plucking the little strands that had escaped my body out of the air wasn't very difficult after years of using my mind to warp reality. Trying to keep them from escaping took considerably more effort. I was able to reduce the amount that was leaking out, and after several hours of effort my body started retaining more of the energy automatically. It wasn't as good as when I concentrated on it, but it definitely helped.

Since my alarm hadn't gone off yet I decided to stop meditating try something different, but I left my eyes closed and tried to remain motionless. Gathering energy into the palm of one hand, I concentrated on creating an Instant Dungeon. Since it was an ability I'd purchased for the Jump it simply worked, but watching it work gave me some idea of HOW it did. The sounds of cars, people, and small animals stopped.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Mystical Energy (Gather)!]

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Mystical Energy (Efficiency)!]

Next, I gathered energy into my palm and concentrated on unmaking the Instant Dungeon. I didn't want to just break it, I wanted to unmake it in the most efficient way possible: by reversing what I'd observed while creating it. I flinched when the entire thing crumbled around me, bombarding my new energy sense with unfamiliar sensations. That wasn't going to work for me.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Instant Dungeon (Destroy)!]

I spent the rest of the night creating and unmaking Instant Dungeons, trying to do it faster and faster each time. I got used to the sensations pretty quickly, but I knew this would be an invaluable skill in the future so I kept going. About an hour before my alarm went off I figured out that I didn't have to use a palm to gather the energy, and started using other body parts. My forehead and my stomach both worked, as did each of my toes. I was pretty bored, so I opened an eye and checked on the clock. It was light out, but I still had an hour before I was supposed to be up. Also there were a ton of pop-up windows waiting for me to indicate that the [Instant Dungeon] skills had leveled up.

New skills for sensing energy, energy efficiency, and gathering energy were pretty close to what I was hoping I'd accomplish. The [Instant Dungeon (Create)] and [Instant Dungeon (Destroy)] skills were the real prize, though. I could now create Instant Dungeons that were empty or ones that had any combination of zombies, ghosts, and ogres. Best of all: creating Instant Dungeons didn't cost any mana, and would eventually lead to time-dilated areas where I would experience more time inside them than would pass outside. I was going to enjoy this, but first I was going to sleep until the alarm went off. Just because I could.

Waking up instantly was my new normal. I hurriedly turned off my alarm and closed the dialog indicating I'd slept in a bed and been fully healed. It was redundant since I hadn't lost any health before I went to bed, but it was still nice to know my powers were working. When I finished my morning routine and got downstairs I found that the leftover stir-fry had been eaten, but the container was in the sink. Either I'd missed her arrival or Mom had gotten home sometime in the hour or so I actually slept. That was depressing.

Mentally checking the date and discovering that it was a Tuesday was almost as depressing as my mother being so over-worked on a Monday. She must have been functioning on caffeine alone, so I set the pot to brew and made breakfast for two before putting the extra in the refrigerator. The dishes were washed and the coffee put in a thermos before I had a sudden thought. Would making coffee count as cooking for the purpose of my skill? One observe later and I was a bit stunned.

My [Cooking] skill (at level one) indicated that eating or drinking something I'd prepared would restore HP (health) and possibly have other benefits. The thermos of coffee I'd prepared for my mother restored ten HP and five points of MP (mana). I'd found my first healing item, and it was a drink I couldn't stand. Maybe it was different in this life? I got the now-clean coffee pot out and started another pot brewing, keeping a careful eye on the time. I had classes every weekday, and didn't want to be late.

The sound of a thump from upstairs indicated that either my mother's alarm had gone off or she'd smelled the coffee. Ten minutes later she was downstairs and eyeing the slowly-filling pot hungrily while she ate the breakfast I'd left out for myself. Seeing that she was distracted I took the food I'd set aside for her out of the fridge and ate it myself, then watched as she went through an entire pot of coffee before I could finish.

The effect was hilarious. While I'd seen my first mother go from walking dead to semi-human after a couple of cups of coffee, this was more like walking dead to chipper extrovert in one pot. I wasn't sure how much of the effect was the actual caffeine and how much was the recovery aspect my preparation added to it, but Mom actually gave me a big hug and wished me luck at class before going to shower and get ready for work.

Had I just accidentally reinforced the Big Home, All Alone drawback by enabling her to work more? Was I doomed to spend the next year only seeing her in the morning? A part of me hoped that was the case for her safety, but another smaller part of me wanted to see her more.

I spent the next month attending classes during the day, coming home to an empty house, mostly coming up with a sensible system for using magic and re-learning telekinesis. I had a list of abilities I wanted, and I was determined to learn as many of them as possible before I was discovered. Sometimes Mom would get back at a reasonable hour, but even then she often left to do other things without even talking to me. The only time we consistently interacted was when I made coffee. My [Dishwashing] skill evolved into [Chores] when after I added sweeping, dusting, laundry, and a few other things to the list.

[Instant Dungeon (Create)] was the next skill I abused, and I kept going until I could create a space with ten to one time dilation. Using the extra time from that I meditated constantly, doing my best to master [Mystical Energy (Sense)], [Mystical Energy (Gather)], and [Mystical Energy (Efficiency)]. The first allowed me to more closely monitor the energy both inside and outside my body. That allowed me to more efficiently gather it up, move it, and keep it from escaping. If no energy escaped, I wouldn't be detectable to anyone looking for magic or whatever other energies I used. I was careful to monitor normal people, too. I didn't want to have too little apparent energy and stand out that way. My efforts toward a sensible magic system ended in [Modular Spellcasting and Wards].

It was watching people with my expanded senses that lead me to Han Jee-Han and the Cheon Bu clan. I didn't contact or follow them, but I certainly made note of the places I saw them and what they looked like. Jee-Han was practically radiating energy of a type I'd only ever seen in myself by this point, so he'd probably already learned a lot of the Cheon Bu techniques. I had no idea if he'd encountered Hwan Sung-Ah yet, but I knew he would eventually. She was deathly ill, and her father was one of the most powerful characters in the comic up to the point it was translated into English back home. Hwan Sung-Gon: the Black Devil. A summoner with the ability to absorb souls to add to his own power. If there was anyone I needed to avoid pissing off it was him. And if I could get on his good side? Even better.

Once I'd achieved my goal of ten to one time dilation and gained enough proficiency in [Mystical Energy (Efficiency)] to appear normal I switched over to basic attacks and defenses. Jee-Han had gone the straight mana route with blasts, arrows, and spinning versions of them to increase damage. I went for flexibility and penetrating power by improving my telekinesis to include pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, geokinesis, electrokinesis, and aerokinesis. Since I was able to practice in an environment where the destruction of an entire neighborhood was wiped away when I left, I got pretty good at all of them. My mana and level were both probably ridiculously low for what I was doing, but my regeneration rate with active [Mystical Energy (Gather)] was more than enough to make up for it.

When I could reliably destroy a building or reduce a small area to a smoldering crater with a fifth or less of my mana bar and a pseudo-programmed timer to set off sonic booms, then lift the rubble and fling it away with another half bar I moved on. [Mystical Energy (Gather)] contributed to the creation of the [Mystical Energy (Generator)] when I learned to use mana to generate more. I could either dedicate part of my total pool of MP to producing more of it or spend a little more MP to gain a permanent MP regeneration buff. The latter looked a little flimsy to my [Mystical Energy (Sense)] so I suspected it would be easy to dispel, but it provided invaluable nonetheless. Using it did make me a little more visible since there was more energy for [Mystical Energy (Efficiency)]'s stealth to cover, but so far it had been worth it.

Surveillance and counter-surveillance were next. I poured over [Observe] and my [Mystical Energy (Sense)] until I could got [Far Sight], then tweaked it to receive audio and evolved that into [Scry]. Thankfully I was able to do it without a mirror or other such prop, and was still aware of my surroundings while using it. That last bit made it very disorienting at first, and I knew I'd need a lot more practice if I ever wanted to use it while I was on the move. My final revision to it was to try and make it blend into the ambient energy of the environment, but without testing it against someone else I couldn't be certain it worked. I could [Scry] on places I'd already been or use it as a kind of invisible floating eye to move around and explore new areas, which I'd then be able to [Scry] on directly. I immediately erected a ward against scrying over the house, hoping to delay the inevitable attacks caused by Abyss Gazed Back.

Countering my own technique proved to be far more difficult than creating it, but I think that was at least partially because I was still trying to be scientific about it. After I stopped trying to find something to base the effect on and just pushed concepts into my MP for a while I eventually ended up with an [Anti-Scry] ability that could be used as a cast spell, a maintained spell, or added to a ward. One of my earlier attempts also proved useful: forcefully smoothing out the remaining ambient energy around me didn't counter the [Scry] skill, but it did help me a potentially devastating skill: [Mystical Energy (Void)]. By combining the smoothing effect and [Mystical Energy (Gather)] I created a field around myself where only my own supernatural shenanigans worked. I could extend it a little bit out from my body, but doing so cost me more energy than I got back from the skill.


	8. Chapter 8

Having perfected my counter-surveillance technique as far as I could without opponents, I was getting toward the bottom of the list of things I wanted to develop. I still needed a healing skill, a way to inflict and remove status ailments, a defensive against physical and chemical attack, and a couple of other lower-priority abilities. The reason I'd put off healing was because it was going to be easiest to train it with weak enemies, and that would mean I'd be gaining experience. I could create Instant Dungeons with enemies aplenty, and I wasn't at all worried about being able to kill them. The problem was that I was likely to draw attention.

According to the Jump document, so long as I was in the world of The Gamer Instant Dungeons would draw on the souls of the dead nearby to generate monsters. That wouldn't be a problem after the Jump, but for now there were presumably a finite number of souls in a given area and at least one person actively collecting them: the Black Devil. I didn't want to cause trouble for him if at all possible, but I knew that I was going to be targeted eventually so I had to have those healing and defensive skills.

I started by going out that night, since I remembered Han Jee-Han saying he could only create the undead-type Instant Dungeons after dark. My power didn't specify any such limitation, but it was also the easiest time for me to get away. I located a shallow but thoroughly uninteresting alley about two blocks from home and started jogging there, then setting up a zombie-infested Instant Dungeon.

My first time through was terrifying. I'd never actually participated in life-or-death combat in my previous Jump with anything stronger than a horde of zubats, and they'd been pathetic. These were honest-to-Gaia zombies with rotting flesh and popped eyeballs and all sorts of disgusting things and they were all photo-realistic and smelly as fuck. Having prepared for this, I'd bought a nice heavy shovel in case any of them got too close to me. This particular "weapon" appealed to me more than a baseball bat, and the idea of eventually enchanting a shovel as a weapon always started me laughing a little. Even worse, Washu felt like being funny.

The Instant Dungeon had rolled over me and I was psyching myself up to fight some undead when her voice rang through my head: "Surprise!" The following dialog informing me that the Swarmed drawback had been re-activated was just enough warning for me to reflexively try and erect a Pokémon-style barrier around myself, which failed spectacularly. Duplicating my telekinetic skills from that Jump had taken me several tries to get started and days to get anywhere truly useful. That was the problem with having the Corrupted Save File drawback. Even if I could duplicate those skills, any mastery I had over them was reduced to theoretical knowledge that might not apply with my new power.

I started swinging my shovel at zubats, and got bludgeoned down to half hit points before I managed to put the fuckers down. Gaining the [Physical Endurance] and [Weapon Mastery] skills was helpful, amusing, and annoying all at the same time. Standing over the corpses of my long-time foes and trying to figure out fire breath so I could roast them distracted me enough that I almost missed the dialog informing me I'd gained the title "The Shoveller" and the horde of zombies that had been attracted by the noise.

[You've gained a level!]

As fast as I could I opened the drawbacks menu and turned Swarmed off again, while at the same time focusing on molding mana in the same way Han Jee-Han did when he first formed his [Mana Shield] skill. Instead of wrapping it around myself I set up a plane of mana, did my best to warp it with telekinesis into something solid, and forced it to manifest a wall between myself and the approaching horde.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Force Wall!]

[Force Wall has been filed under Modular Spellcasting and Wards!]

I stepped back into the shadows and tried to be sneaky, but it didn't do much good. The zombies kept trying to approach me through the barrier, not even seeming to realize they weren't making any progress. My mana regenerated, and I scanned the area for anything to use as telekinetic projectiles. There wasn't much in the way of debris, so I started chunks of asphalt out of the ground and launching them into the horde. Heads and other body parts exploded under the force of concrete travelling at half the speed of sound.

[You've gained a level!]

This was taking too long. Maybe I could use a little more finesse? I took three final chunks of concrete and started to rotate them back and forth across the space in front of the wall around three inches off the ground. As they broke down from the pressure and numerous impacts I continued to grab the pieces and even managed to catch some of the dust in my mental grip, then continued to grind the zombies up starting at the feet until they disintegrated into loot and vapor. The obvious loot I grabbed with telekinesis and brought over to my side of the wall without even checking to see what it was, but I'm sure some of it got caught up in the field I was now rotating like a band-saw of debris to grind my attackers to mush.

[You've gained a level!]

[You've gained a level!]

[You've gained a level!]

Despite my prodigious rate of mana regeneration, I was getting low. The [Force Wall] eventually failed when I lost concentration on it and the zombies that remained standing finally figured out that they could attack it. I'd killed most of them and was getting better at grinding things to bits with telekinesis so they were falling faster, but with the debris I was using getting smaller and smaller I had to use more energy to make it damaging. As I neared the end of my mana, I dropped the grinder, launched the remaining large pieces into the crowd, and drew my shovel once more. It would take fewer than thirty seconds for my mana to refill again, but I needed to defend myself until then.

[You've obtained the title: Apprentice Undead Hunter!]

[You've gained a level!]

I stepped forward over my pile of unexamined loot and started swinging. A couple of spectacular critical hits and a whole lot of work reduced the visible undead population to zero, but I could still hear more moaning and shuffling around. They would come for me if I continued to make noise, so there was no point in hunting them down. I hurriedly started shoving loot into my inventory, noting that it was all teeth, ribs, small purple crystals similar to some of my mana constructs, and low-denomination currency. There were a few articles of clothing, jewelry, and personal electronics. I had to have killed at least fifty zombies so far, but it was probably closer to eighty.

[You've gained a level!]

Cautious not to make a sound, I crept out of the alley just far enough to collect what remaining debris I could see with telekinesis. There were already more zombies on the way toward me, so I crept back into the alley full of debris and zubat corpses and blinked. I hadn't tried using the corpses as debris for the grinder because they were basically useless and squishy after they died, but they still kind of made me hungry. I was more affected by my time as a ninetails than I'd thought. Maybe it was time to try something else?

I brought up my hand and gathered mana to it, then pictured fire. I'd only done this in practice before, but the idea was simple: I concentrated on the image and the heat, and how it would swirl above my hand just far enough away not to burn me. My grin was positively feral when blue-white fire flared above my palm.

With zombies growing ever-nearer, I concentrated on creating a temporary heat-absorbing ward in the air above me then configured it to convert the heat into mana and feed it back to me. The yield would be low but constant, and should boost my mana regeneration by a few points per second while I used my new favorite skill in the area. If I moved too far away I'd lose the benefit, but the ward would still last for a while before it came undone.

With my mana near zero again, zombies started pouring into the alley. I had just enough left to direct a stream of flame and pressurized air at about shoulder level into the kill zone. It felt like hours later when they finally they stopped coming. I barely noticed my hit points slowly falling then jumping again at irregular intervals, but the popups finally got my attention for a moment.

[Telekinesis (Pyrokinesis) has gained a level!]

[Weapon Mastery has gained a level!]

[You've gained a level!]

[Telekinesis (Pyrokinesis) has gained a level!]

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Fire Affinity!]

[Telekinesis (Pyrokinesis) has gained a level!]

[Weapon Mastery has gained a level!]

I dropped the force wall and panted for a moment. The air was choked with the smell of burnt flesh and hair, and it was getting hard to breathe. I equipped the rebreather I'd picked up in the PokéVerse and it became easier, but I was fairly certain I'd used up most of the oxygen in the Instant Dungeon with that flamethrower trick. I unravelled my ward, sat down heavily, and once again started scooping loot into my inventory. I had a fair few soul gems, ribs, and teeth by now. Some of the money was burned or simply absent, having been so close to the flames and reduced to ash.

I'll admit I made an embarrassing noise when a tremendous eye loomed over me, set in the face of the biggest zombie I'd ever seen. Were it not for the unnatural calm granted to me by Gamer's Mind I would have soiled myself too. As it was I came close. I bolted to my feet and ran out of the confined space of the alley just before a massive first slammed into the place I'd been sitting and reduced the surrounding walls to rubble. How the fuck had I missed that thing!? [Observe], damnit!

That wasn't good. I'd killed enough zombies to trigger a boss monster: the Legion Zombie. It had over fifteen thousand hit points (to my two hundred fifty) and was taller than most of the buildings in the area. According the information box, it was also slow. That was the only thing that kept me alive long enough to get some distance.

I had a habit of making my Instant Dungeons as small as possible to avoid notice, so this one had only covered about a block. Compared to the ones I'd seen laying around that was positively tiny. It also meant that even the slow behemoth I was running from could cross the distance in about thirty seconds. Fortunately, I was now flush with rubble.

It took some time, but I eventually settled on a pattern of running to one corner of the block then hucking rubble with at the damn thing with geokinesis and telekinesis until it died. It dropped half a million won, six healing potions, and a book of basic magical theory. I smiled, scooped them up into my inventory, and headed back to the remains of the alley so I'd exit the Instant Dungeon the same place I entered it. I had some points to invest, and some zubat corpses to put in my inventory. What? They would be tasty if I could get all the rubble and mess off of them!

[You've gained a level!]

Leveling up appeared to be one of the exceptions to the "don't show me numbers" setting I'd selected. I had to distribute my new stat points manually, which meant I actually had to look at my status screen. That caused me to burst into hysterical giggles. I'd just killed a truck-load of zombies and a giant one at level one. The damn game started me at level one! All my stats had been ten, but my skills had been carrying me through. I guess I had been gaining health and mana even without spending my stat points, but still! I'd started at level one! My giggles died down to chuckles as I distributed points. I was not Han Jee-Han, and I would not be building a character based entirely on intelligence without actually using my brain. I'd received bonuses to health and mana from leveling up, and I brought all my mental stats up to twenty and my physical stats to fifteen. This left me with almost four times the health and seven times as much mana regenerating twice as quickly. I was also luckier, stronger, faster, more flexible, and more coordinated. Even my thoughts were clearer and coming more quickly. I regretted that I wouldn't be getting the bonus abilities every fifty stat points any time soon, but I really needed a good base and I wasn't hurting for damage potential at the moment.

It was nearly morning, and I'd discovered to my great surprise that my clothes were not torn and burned to the point of being unusable. My gear seemed to be indestructible as long as I was wearing it, even to the point it wasn't getting dirty. I wondered if that last part was an aspect of the Gamer ability or Ever-Cleansed, and wondered why I'd been doing laundry if nothing was actually dirty before realizing I didn't care. It was amazing either way. When I got home I ended up gaining another point in [Stealth], which indicated to me that either my mother was home or I got experience for it regardless of whether there was anyone to hide from. I went upstairs, swapped into my pyjamas, did my business, washed up, turned on my alarm, and went to bed. Even if I didn't technically need sleep, I wanted to after all that work.

I woke up completely healed, and cursed at myself for forgetting to develop an actual healing skill before I went to bed. It was on the list, darnit! I should have remembered! Thankfully it was the weekend, so I didn't have classes. That meant I might be able to spend an entire day working instead of waiting until night time. I spent a few minutes investing more MP into the the anti-[Scry] ward I'd put up, then set about my morning routine while I let my mind chew on the problem of healing skills. I should be able to create one easily, but what was the best way to go about making it useful? I'd recently gained [Fire Affinity], which both increased the damage I dealt and reduced the damage I received from fire...if I was careful I could alternately burn and heal myself to gain experience in all three skills. Then again, I was bound to start attracting attention soon if I hadn't already. Killing monsters and earning levels was an excellent way to gain power quickly, and would improve my skills only a bit more slowly.

When I got downstairs Mom was already gone, probably because of Big House, All Alone. It was odd that she hadn't waited for me to make coffee though, especially given that I always got up at the same time despite the weekend. No witnesses meant no worries, though. I prepared enough food for two and stored half of it in my inventory in case I needed something later, then headed out to the alley I'd been using as a starting point for my Instant Dungeons. It was early morning and I was still in the mood for zombies, but it was already light out. I shrugged, and tried to create the zombie dungeon anyway. There was a bit of resistance, so I pictured a huge shambling mob of slow zombies like I'd seen in a few movies and the world changed.

I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. I was in the entrance to a mall of some sort. The doors were barred but still transparent, and my entrance had not gone unnoticed. Very soon the zombies beating at the doors would come pouring in and I would be set for enemies. I raised a hand to call on fire and paused. I did want to roast these guys to grind my fire skills, but I also wanted to see if I could do some things I'd seen in a game a long time ago. I also needed a healing/positive energy/debuff-dispel skill for my plans. Concentrating on the idea of light, I started pooling MP into the palm of my hand. Before it could stabilize into something stupid like a flashlight I started to run through concepts and push them into the light: cleansing, life, healing, opposition of death, opposition of undeath, and opposition of evil. The concepts were easy enough to link in my head.

Glass shattered, metal was battered down, and a zombie started chewing on my neck. A few of his buddies were coming to join the party when it finally clicked, and just this once I wanted to call out the names of my moves like an anime character. Even if they were all the same move, really. I gathered my will and shouted, "PEARL NOVA!"

A wave of silver-white energy erupted from my body and turned the undead within a few meters of me to ash. I'd just wasted several undead and made a joke about bad translation/cultural censorship at the same time. Take that Final Fantasy Six localization team! "Pearl bolt!" A sphere of the same silvery-white energy shot from my hand and disintegrated another zombie. One last time. "Pearl fist!" My hands lit up to near blinding levels with silvery-white light and I just started punching things. It was cathartic, and I kept going until I'd lost about half my HP before I backed up to try the skill on myself. Instead of a fist, I laid an open palm over where the first zombie had chewed on my neck. My HP went up and my MP went down. Nice.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Pearl/Holy!]

[Pearl/Holy has been folded into Modular Spellcasting and Wards!]

"By THE LIGHT you shall PERISH!" I yelled with enthusiasm, then started throwing around [Pearl/Holy] bolts with one hand and gouts of fire with the other. My laughter echoed eerily through the halls of the Instant Dungeon, and I felled hundreds of undead. My mana regeneration was good enough and the zombies were weak enough that I could do this all day, and I was having a lot of fun. When inspiration struck again I grabbed my shovel out of my inventory and infused it with the [Pearl/Holy] aura I'd been using on my fists earlier.

"I dub thee the SHOVEL OF LIGHT! I shouted obnoxiously as I bashed in heads and chopped off limbs with the head of the shovel. Mad laughter that wasn't my own echoed in my head as Washu joined in my merriment, and I released a devastating wave of [Pearl/Holy] energy before striking a heroic pose with my shovel.

[You've obtained the title "Junior Light-Bringer!"]


	9. Chapter 9

My romp through the mall of the dead lasted most of the day. By the end the mall itself was a smouldering pile of rubble with a lot of giant footprints in it, and I was a lot richer. I'd found a highly ironic book on European holy magic, a similarly ironic book about death magic, and a spell book entitled Freedom of Movement. My Dungeons and Dragons senses tingling, I immediately opened the book and was given a prompt to learn the spell. I approved, the book dissolved motes of light and soaked into my skin, whereupon I knew the spell Freedom of Movement [1].

[You learned the spell: Freedom of Movement!]  
[Freedom of Movement has been folded into Modular Spellcasting and Wards!]

Now I knew a spell to prevent myself from being restrained or escape restraint. It had some other handy bonuses like allowing me to swim faster and get away from people trying to wrestle me or put me in handcuffs (or a straightjacket), all going along with the name of the spell. It was on my walk back from playtime that I ran into trouble. A man in a black suit and tie wearing sunglasses appeared from a collapsing Instant Dungeon almost right in front of me, and I jumped back in alarm.

The man glanced at me and paused for a moment, then approached. Not being sure what to do, I did nothing as he got closer.

"Can I help you?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"I believe you can. Your name is Wren Black, and I've been waiting for you."

"Really?" I asked nervously, not my panic warring with Gamer's Mind. "Whatever for?"

"My name is Hwan Sung-Gon. I'm here to offer you a job," he said reluctantly. I think my eyes must have nearly fallen out of my head at that. He quirked an eyebrow at me and said nothing for a few moments, before raising a hand with a strange ring-and-chain assembly to remove his sunglasses. His irises were completely black, leaving no distinction between them and the pupil. It was eerie, especially in the waning light of dusk.

"I want to know what your ability is," he said softly. "And if I can hire you to use it." I felt an Instant Dungeon rise around us.

"My ability?" I asked, mind racing. Revealing the Gamer ability would probably be the worst thing I could do, but I also couldn't risk an outright lie. If I lied to this man he would probably eat me or something equally horrible, and he obviously knew a little or he wouldn't have offered to hire me. I remember him disintegrating zombies and absorbing what was left in the comic, and I wanted no part of anything that might do the same to me. Even late-game Han Jee-Han didn't want to mess with the so-called "Black Devil."

"I'm adaptable, but mostly I do magic wards and anti-divination. Also healing. I'm surprised you found me," I said a little evasively. That really did cover everything I did but understated things quite a bit.

"Healing, you say? That means you're even more valuable, and the prize for whoever brings you in for the Abyss Auction is already substantial." I silently used [Observe] on the man when he paused, unsure whether I was supposed to say anything to that or not. The results terrified me. His level and stats were all question marks and there was a bright red skull next to his name. He took my silence as a cue to continue, "I was originally going to hire you to help hide someone. Your bounty has only gone up for almost six months, and I wanted the peace of mind that kind of stealth brings. Now I think we may need to come to another arrangement." He looked at me seriously, put his sunglasses back on, then turned toward the sunset.

"If you can completely heal the young woman I have in mind I will help to hide and protect you in addition to paying a large sum of money. If you cannot heal her completely, I will still pay you a large sum of money in exchange for wards similar to those around your residence. If you hadn't left those wards I never would have found you."

[Quest Alert! Heal Hwan Sung-Ah!]  
[Quest Alert! Ward the Hideout!]

Help from the most badass of badasses that I knew about in exchange for a few days of spamming heal on his daughter Hwan Sung-Ah? I could live with that. Even if I failed he'd pay me to ward a hideout or two and send me on my way.

"If you'll give me a few minutes to pack, I can leave right away," I told him, and beckoned him toward my apartment. "Since you found me I'll need to find another place to hide anyway."

He gave me a slight nod of the head, then turned and walked behind me back to my home. The Instant Dungeon hadn't been very big, so we just walked out of it. I grabbed my backpack from the apartment, hurriedly packed what I thought I might need, locked the door, and nodded to the most intimidating man I'd ever met. "Lead the way."

He put his hand on my shoulder, sending a wave of cold through my body, then the shadows rose up and swallowed us. When they receded we were somewhere else. It looked like the entryway to a very large home for an elderly person, with an elevator chair on the stairs and everything. Sung-Gon led me to a what might have been a dining room at one point, but now contained a medical bed with a teen girl in it. I could sense the same kind of energy in her as my guide.

"Death magic. And a curse, at that," I said softly. The Sung-Gon whipped around in surprise, but and I stood still. "It's not something I see very often," I continued. It was true, I didn't see death curses very often. In fact, I'd never seen one. I really hoped he was buying this. "Do you want me to ward the house first, or try to heal her first?"

"Heal her. If you're capable, do it now," he demanded a bit impatiently. I simply used [Observe] on the girl to confirm my "diagnosis."

"This may take a while. I think I can reduce her symptoms quickly, but magic like this is deeply rooted. It take days or even weeks to completely purge it."

"How long would the wards take? And could you begin healing immediately after?"

"Not long. Depending on the size of the house I can have something rough set up in less than an hour, then start healing after a short break. I'd need access to each corner of the area to be warded at the ground level, the highest level accessible, and the lowest level accessible if there's anything below ground."

"And if you just warded the room?"

"Ten minutes or so, then a short break and I could start healing."

"Do that," he replied curtly, and pointedly didn't move. I shrugged my shoulders, closed my eyes, and called on [Modular Spellcasting and Wars] to cover the area with some hand-motions for flavor. Imprinting my intent to gather ambient energies from outside the home for power took a few minutes, and adding the familiar anti-[Scry] warding. Since I was presumably being paid a lot of money for this I also added an aura of [Pearl/Holy] but made sure to leave it deactivated. I made sure the entire thing was as strong as I could make it, using nearly all of my mana in the process.

When I lowered my arms and opened my eyes I saw Sung-Gon's eyes were wide behind his sunglasses. They were also gray instead of black, which made him look a little bit less like a demon came to take my soul and more like a secret service agent. I nodded to him, then sank to my knees on the spot to wait for my mana to refill. "What do you think? I added a little extra single your offer was so generous," I asked. "It might also help with the healing process."

He didn't reply, just looked around then left the room. Outside the door he looked back in, then stepped over the threshold of the wards several times looking concerned.

"This is a much more powerful ward than you used at your home," he said wearily. "I can't actually see inside it from the doorway unless I de-activate some of my own spells."

I simply nodded and stood up. My mana regeneration truly was ridiculous, as evidenced by the fact I was already full after only a couple of minutes.

"I'm ready to begin healing."

He nodded and stepped very close to the bed, presumably so he could murder me horribly if I did anything suspicious. I took a few extra deep breaths for effect, calling on [Pearl/Holy] each time to make my hands glow brighter. When it reached a point the strange guy might have actually needed the sunglasses, I laid one hand on the girl's brow and the other on her arm. I immediately felt resistance, but a faint screaming in the back of my mind. I was eternally grateful the sound wasn't coming from the girl, or the man next to me would have ended my existence.

The was definitely a curse here, and my spell was chipping away at it already. The problem was that the damn thing seemed to be actively fighting back. It was acting more like a possession or concentration spell than a set-and-forget. I mentally flicked on the [Pearl/Holy] portion of the ward and heard a gasp and a thump beside me. I didn't look, since I really didn't want to know if I'd just irked my benefactor and signed my death warrant. The curse itself was weaker under the ward effect but it was still pulling power from somewhere to fight me, so I decided to take another chance.

I carefully divided my concentration and prepared to use another ability in conjunction with [Pearl/Holy]. I took another deep breath, this time to steady my nerves more than for theatrical effect, and started [Gather Mystical Energy] targeted specifically at the curse.

The aura in my hands turned smoky for a moment and ice rushed through my veins. I didn't know exactly what the energy was, but I knew it was bad. It was deeply associated with death, shadow, the demonic, the void, or some other fancy shit that I couldn't be bothered with. All of those things were directly opposed to [Pearl/Holy]. The energy had to go somewhere, and there was way too much of it for me to hold and let my Gamer ability convert it to pure MP. If I tried to shove it into the wards it might corrupt them like it had tried to do my active spell, and the same could happen if I shunted the energy outside where the wards would collect it themselves.

I started channeling it into a single point between and above my hands, using my raw will to keep it there until I could figure out what to do with it. I'd driven a freezing cold from the girl's body in the first few seconds of my technique, and the curse itself was steadily weakening. The atmosphere in the room was also growing cold and oppressive the more of that horrible energy I diverted away from the curse. My focus narrowed, and the room itself disappeared from my senses. It was just me, the girl, the curse, and the energy it was pulling of nowhere. With supreme effort, I guided the darkness I'd torn away back toward the source. Wherever this energy was coming from, it was going to go back or I was going to die. Well, I hoped I wouldn't die if I failed. The building would probably explode or something, but I might survive. With herculean effort I forced the disgusting rotten energy back where it came from, and the world went silver-white.

I blinked stars from my eyes, and the screaming in my mind went from a whisper to a banshee-like wail before finally dying. I felt the curse crumble, and the light of [Pearl/Holy] began to wash away the fatigue and small injuries that remained. A minute later it was done, and I allowed the light to fade from my hands. The young woman on the bed had gained a bit of color already, and her breathing looked steady. Her forehead and arm felt damp under my hands, and when I pulled away wisps of silver-white light continued to dance across her body. To my senses she looked and felt completely different. Where before there a been a yawning void sucking away at her lifeforce and trying to fill it in with something foul, now there was only magic and ki with the light light of [Pearl/Holy] surrounding it in a protective barrier.

[Quest Complete! Heal Hwan Sung-Ah!]  
[By figuring out a solution to a difficult problem, you raised your INT!]  
[By making wise choices in a dire situation, you raised your WIS!]  
[By doing something very risky and pulling through, you raised your LUK!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You've obtained the title "Associate Light-Bringer!"]

"_I can't decide if that was brilliant, stupid, or both. Your strategy was sound if the dispel worked, but you'd have utterly failed if it didn't_," Washu's voice echoed. "_Since it worked I'm going to go with brilliant and assume you planned the spell itself to be exactly what she needed._" I nodded my head ever so slightly in acknowledgement of both points. I had indeed planned to use the spell to heal Sung-Ah in particular in addition to using it as a general positive-energy spell.

"You...you did it. You actually did it," Sung-Gon breathed. His eyes were wide with shock behind his glasses, and as the girl started to wake I stepped out of the room to give them a little privacy. I idly scrolled through and distributed my new ability points, noting with slightly wide eyes that my luck has gone up by five from the last message. I knew trying that with a newly-created healing spell (even one basically tailor-made for the problem) was risky, but five points? Really?

I also equipped my new title, since I'd forgotten to equip any of the others. If that escalated to full-on Light-Bringer I might be able to get some laughs out of messing with seers and prophets in the Buffy-verse. I wondered briefly if there was a way to acquire the Morning Star title, and a quest window popped up for it while Washu kind of laugh-snorted in my brain [2]. The description was actually helpful too, but it would be something I'd have to try and time near the end of my jump. Smiting a demon or some such at dawn in such a way that everyone could see it for several kilometers would be challenging enough, but doing so without being killed by the Disproportionate Retribution drawback? There was the alternative possibility of becoming an object of worship without being an actual god, which I thought was equally unlikely. That was going to be near-impossible. Then again the quest didn't say it had to be done in this jump, and that drawback would go away when I left.

Were they still in there? Yeah. I did my best to distract myself by repeatedly burning one hand with [Pyrokinesis] then healing it with [Pearl/Holy]. Evidently it took a lot of convincing on both their parts to determine that the girl really was fully healthy now, since I actually gained a few levels in both skills and [Fire Affinity] before Sung-Gon came out to get me. He didn't even blink at what I was doing, just beckoned for me to follow. He led me up to an office and indicated I should sit while he did the same. After occupying himself shuffling papers for a minute or so, he finally addressed me.

"What you did down there was a miracle for me. I had a healthy sum set aside to pay you, and I'd been working on healing Sung-Ah almost since the day she was born. I expected you to alleviate her symptoms at best, then get on with warding my home and leaving with the money and a warning you were being hunted. Whatever it was you did made my skin crawl, but my daughter is healthier than anyone in my family has been for generations. I don't know if you're secretly a priest, a demon in disguise, or a god and I don't care." He looked at me very seriously, his sunglasses on the desk and his hands folded in front of him. "You saved my daughter's life and might have ended a curse inflicted on my family hundreds of years ago. I will protect you with my life, as will those loyal to me. I will have a room prepared for you and your money gathered or transferred as you prefer. If you betray the trust you have earned, I will not only kill you but I will consume your very soul. Do you understand me?"

As the stoic man spoke I went from blushing and preening a little inside my head to slightly indignant, then back to preening, then settled on terrified for the briefest of moments before Gamer's Mind kicked the emotion back down to a level where it wouldn't impair my judgement. I'd been just a little afraid that he'd kill me or turn me in despite what I'd done, but even if he wasn't about to stab me in the back the praise had been unexpected. I nodded mutely and muttered my thanks for the hospitality, and he actually smiled back at me. It was a little creepy, like he wasn't used to doing it. That was understandable given that he'd had such a bleak task for so long.

"I also still want you to ward the rest of the house, but please leave out whatever it was you activated to help with the healing. Having that in one room is enough."

I blinked, remembering the part where that was actually supposed to be getting paid for in the first place.

"Yes sir. I can start as soon as someone is available to give me to tour," I replied. An indecipherable look passed over his face so briefly I almost missed it. Surprise, maybe? Suspicious? I really couldn't tell.

"I'll show you around after we discuss payment details, then. Give me a moment." He pulled out a cell phone and instructed someone to prepare a room on the second floor, then passed me one of the pieces of paper he'd been looking at earlier. My eyes bugged out at the number, and I started counting zeroes. Five hundred million won. That was...something like five hundred thousand dollars? For an afternoon's work warding? Holy fuck. When I looked back up at him he simply asked me how I'd like to be paid. It took me a moment to form a reply, and that turned into me verbally dumping what remained of my plans on the man instead of giving him a simple reply.

"I don't actually have a regular account since I closed everything when I found out I might be targeted by people from the Abyss. The only thing I do have is a heavily enchanted debit card I got for a job, and I've never touched the funds on it. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to be able to purchase things from the auction without actually giving them my information, since I'll be staying here. Would that be doable? I just need food, water, and a place to sleep and work. Ideally I'd be able to get some training and access to a more stable time-dilated... illusion barrier, I think they're called. Mine work but they start to get funny after a while. The last one I made ended up looking like an American mall on the inside."

His reply was a little delayed, but he addressed everything I'd said. "Your daily needs will be provided for here at my expense, and I can order things for you so long as you don't mind my knowing what they are. As for training and a more reliable illusion barrier, I know someone who would allow you to use their facilities and instruct you. They would need to be paid in money or services, but they're very good and could keep you safe while you're with them. Transport will be an issue though." He seemed to be talking to himself at the end there, and gave me a thoughtful look. "You will need to learn teleportation."

My eyes gleamed. I missed teleportation so much. Realizing he was waiting for a reply I told him I could buy a book or something, but he waved me off.

"No. I will teach you. What you've done for me is worth far more than you're asking for, and I do not want to be in anyone's debt."

"I'll try not to take advantage, but anything you'd be willing to teach me would be welcome."

We talked for a bit more, hashing out details of what I had and what I needed as far as personal items then going over the rules of the house. Another man in the same style of black suit, tie, and sunglasses showed me to my room. This one had a pistol and an earpiece, though.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days were mostly my getting used to living in chateau Hwan. My room was spacious and had an en-suite bathroom. I didn't unpack all the way, but that was part paranoia and part laziness since I had an unlimited inventory. When Sung-Gon approached me about teaching he asked me to show him what I knew first. I demonstrated [Telekinesis (Pyrokinesis)], [Telekinesis], and [Pearl/Holy] and described both the wards I'd installed and my nearly unpracticed scrying ability, saying I didn't really know how easy it was to sense or block. He looked a little put out, and actually scolded me at bit for being so narrowly focused on healing and fighting undead. When he asked me to demonstrate my Illusion Barrier issue I did my best to recreate the process of creating the zombie mall Instant Dungeon (with time-dilation, since I'd only be able to use it without limitations during this Jump), but what I got was actually more of a zombie bunker/prison-complex.

I was starting to become genuinely concerned that I'd done something wrong, since this wasn't at all how the whole Illusion Barrier/Instant Dungeon/protected space thing seemed to work in the comic. He carefully inspected our surroundings, asked a few questions, then started throwing around a freaky red orb spell that just absorbed the zombies big or small. His conclusion was that my ability was simply different from the norm, and that if I wanted to use the surroundings instead of whatever popped into my head I'd have to concentrate on them while I formed the barrier. I was relieved that everything seemed to be normal, but a little annoyed that there was no discernible flaw to fix. He sent me back to my room with several books on magical theory, saying I didn't have all the fundamentals needed for teleportation yet.

Spending my days reading about magic was alternately dull and amazing. Even if been able to use Gamer's Skills to immediately absorb the knowledge in the books (I couldn't, since they were theory), I wouldn't have. I didn't want to alert my host to any abilities other than those he needed to know about. My intelligence went up several points and I learned the skill [Basic Mana Manipulation], which really seemed like something I should have had already. I also learned a ton of things that my Gamer ability utterly failed to quantify, but did help me tweak some spells I'd already created to be more efficient. I understood the fundamentals behind scrying now and was able to fill in some of the gaps in the spell I'd essentially been brute-forcing before. That led to me patching additional holes in my anti-[Scry] ability, which finally became an actual skill under [Modular Spellcasting and Wards]. It was now called [Anti-Divination], and it allowed me to be a lot more thorough and selective about what I was warding against. Of course that also lead to me adjusting the wards on the house and adding more to my room, but Sung-Gon didn't seem to mind.

When I wasn't studying I was poring over the catalogue on the Abyss Auction site. It made bile rise up in the back of my throat to see slaves for sale, but I reasoned that I couldn't possibly buy all of them. Even if I did it would only encourage them to acquire more, which meant more people abducted. I marked books on psionics, mind-magic, warding, ward-breaking, alchemy, enchanting, potion brewing, stealth and concealment, and one on the magic used to keep slaves. Sung-Gon actually refused to order the last one for me and demanded an explanation. When I told him I wanted to figure out how to block or destroy such things he calmed down and said he'd look into it, but he never ordered the actual book.

The next day he started teaching me an actual teleportation spell, which was tedious but ultimately rewarding. When I mastered teleporting around the house and yard he finally brought me to the people who'd agreed to train me if I had potential: the Cheon Bu clan. The interview was quick, since I didn't really remember any martial arts from my first life and hadn't trained them in the Jump-chain. I was tested for strength, endurance, flexibility, and ki control then told I'd have to prove I could handle regular martial arts before they would be willing to teach me the low-level family techniques allowed to outsiders. They offered classes in Taekkyeon and Taekwondo, but could do one-on-one tutoring for few others. I elected to join both classes and asked for training in Tai-Chi if they had anyone who knew it, which they thankfully did.

With my schedule filled I settled in for the long haul. If I wasn't in martial arts classes I was studying psionics, magic, or one of the many mundane crafting fields I eventually started asking for. I got odd looks for wanting to pick up tailoring, blacksmithing, etching, and cooking but nobody stopped me. The money Sung-Gon had allotted me for the warding wasn't meaningfully affected by any of the expenses so far. I got especially lucky when I came across a section about conjuration in one of the more advanced magic texts. It allowed me to develop a couple of spells for creating and summoning objects. I also knew how to summon people and other beings in theory, but hadn't put it into practice yet. I'd never run out of projectiles for telekinesis or raw materials for crafting again, given how quickly my mana regenerated. That this also saved me money practicing my new craft skills was a nice bonus.

Of course, craft skills were everywhere. There were a ton of them and I would probably never learn them all. Thankfully the Gamer's Skills ability had me covered. With an air of incredible cheatiness it simply combined all of said skills into [Crafting] while I was trying to make a set of fingerless gloves for myself. The description brought back memories of crafting nothing but leather bracers in Skyrim until my smithing skill was maxed out, and I smiled tiredly. My various martial art skills similarly combined into [Weapon Mastery (Unarmed)], and my [Physical Endurance] finally leveled up a few times.

Three months into my classes I was attacked at the edge of Sung-Gon's property. Five physical combatants and two mages were turned to paste by railgun-style telekinesis just before a hail of gunfire from the guards sprayed the area, and Sung-Gon actually had the bodies harvested for ingredients or something when he found out. I didn't ask and decided I was in fact not going to go looking for alchemy or potions ingredients on the Abyss Auction website. I'd stick to plant cuttings, common food ingredients, herbs, and whatever I could conjure for now.

The next attack came only a month later, and was a group of only two people. They looked pretty intimidating but fell to the same attacks as the ones before: bullets and conjured tungsten. When I asked if I was overdoing it with the active defense (one of my "attackers" was smeared across the lawn from where I'd hit him at an odd angle) Sung-Gon sat me down with a couple of his security guys and explained that while I seemed to be extremely effective against people with subpar physical defences that approached from the front, I was woefully inadequate against anyone sneaking up on me or using magic due to my lack of experience in those fields.

I very carefully did not reply to this that my normal senses were stupidly good and by this point I could sense magic and ki being used at quite a distance and with incredible accuracy. That was how I'd killed the attackers before the guards could shoot them so far, but I knew that there were ways to conceal people with magic, ki, and other energies that could counter my current skills. It was only the next day that I got a real taste of what combat could be like in this world.

I was in the yard again (I couldn't stand being cooped up all day) and had created an Instant Dungeon full of ogres to try and gauge how my attacks fared against tougher opponents. Things had been going well: rail-gunning the ogres usually killed them in one shot but fire, earth, and electricity didn't do much until I poured a ton of power into them. I was just considering whether I could suffocate an ogre with aerokinesis when the air at the edge of the yard seemed to shatter like glass and a hooded man wielding a staff calmly stepped into my training area.

He didn't say anything, and my reflexive tungsten-rod-to-the-face attack simply slammed into a previously invisible barrier, causing it to flash with an uneven kind of blue-black color. He raised the staff in my direction, raised himself into the air with some kind of flight spell, then my HP simply started to drop as ki was sucked out of my body toward him in a weird green-mist effect.

I flung lightning and fire at the man to no effect, then raised a wall of earth between us to try and interrupt the spell. I stopped losing health and heard the man curse, which I assumed meant that blocking his line of sight had worked until he flew over the barrier and spat murmured a chant to start draining my health again. I surrounded myself in a barrier of [Pearl/Holy] this time and was rewarded with the life-drain ending once again, but the man switched to using my own techniques against me: with another short chant he started throwing my telekinetic projectiles back at me.

They were considerably slower than when I did it, but the one that hit me still took nearly half my health and hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before. This was getting ridiculous, and I was once again hit by a staggering realization mid-battle. I could die here. Not only that: I was fighting someone who was a real person, and I'd killed several more to defend myself. It was only the Gamer's Mind that allowed me to shove those thoughts to the back of my mind and concentrate on what I was doing, which actually led me to a couple of potential ways to deal with the person attacking me. The way I saw it there were three good possibilities: surrender and attempt to solve the drawback issue, which according to the description could lead to me being enslaved or tortured for the rest of my time here; kill this guy and everyone else who came for increasing rewards at the cost of always having to wonder if any of them were just doing this because they had to; or try to subdue this guy non-lethally to gain more information. That might allow me to play INTO the drawback, rather than ran from it.

The last would be challenging, but potentially rewarding. I knew there was always at least one empowered guard home to watch over me at all times, so I'd have to subdue my target before he entered the fight since he wouldn't hesitate to kill in order to protect me. I'd already been running on reflex rather than intellect and it had nearly gotten me killed so I needed to work strategically. My first thought was to anchor a force wall barrier to myself, but I had a better option. My opponent seemed to be exclusively trained as a mage, and I had an ability I'd only practiced but should in theory make me essentially invincible to magic. It felt a lot like cheating, but I was basically a wizard now too. And to me, wizards were always defined as "cheating cheaters who cheat at things." Being The Gamer, or at least a Gamer meant I was a cheating wizard.

I activated [Mystical Energy (Void)] and swapped my [Pearl/Holy] barrier for a [Force Wall] shield. [Force Wall] took a bit more active concentration than [Mystical Energy (Void)] but together they left me enough mental flexibility to use martial arts and more importantly [Telekinesis]. If I was right this guy was running a run-of-the-mill barrier to block my projectiles, and since I'd practiced [Telekinesis] to the point it was nearly a subconscious process by now I should be able to pluck him out of the sky into melee range before he could counter it by grabbing him directly or failing that the barrier itself. If I was wrong I'd need to either think of something else or go for a mutual takedown by simply filling the entire Instant Dungeon with fire until the oxygen ran out or he fled.

My priorities set, I focused my attention back on the magic user attacking me. He seemed to have sussed out that I was now immune to both physical projectiles and his life-drain spell, so he'd started slinging elemental spells at me much like I'd tried with him. I reached out with my mind and grabbed the man firmly, shield and all then yanked him toward me with minimal resistance. I considered it something close to a miracle that this actually succeeded, and wasted no time closing to melee range and divesting him of his staff one he was close enough to touch. I pulled him into a grapple and the range of [Mystical Energy (Void)] next, at which he let loose a near-deafening scream. It seemed he'd been using magic for something other than offense, defense, and flight and I'd just disrupted it quite abruptly. Oh. Or he'd run into the [Force Wall] at high speed. I quickly turned that off, since attempting to drag someone through it appeared to be quite painful. I hadn't even been aware I could ignore it.

I didn't know any safe ways to knock him out, but I could easily restrain him with my increased strength and him lacking any form of magic. Scratch that, he tried to life-drain me again but only caused a miniscule tug on my ki that I was able to easily resist. Apparently [Mystical Energy (Void)] was less an absolute anti-magic field and more a suppression field. It still worked though. I maneuvered my opponent so he was face-down on the ground with both arms pinned painfully behind him, then broke the Instant Dungeon with minimal effort. It was my construct, and I'd had quite a bit of practice with them besides. Oh dear Flying-Spaghetti-Monster that was a lot of guns, and all pointed at myself and my captive. This was going to take some explaining.

I was no longer allowed outside without a guard actually standing near me, which made training more difficult. On the bright side, I was actually able to get the mage who'd attacked me to give up the name of his employer. Sung-Gon negotiated for the man's return in return for both a monetary reward and a meeting with the person who wanted me. I prayed to Washu, the Flying-Spaghetti-Monster, Gaia, and any other deity I thought might be watching that this would work. The summary I'd written of the Abyss Gazed Back drawback indicated it wouldn't, but double-checking the drawbacks section of my Jump UI (conveniently folded into the Gamer UI) indicated that it might. The question was whether actually dissuading or working with the person who wanted me was different enough from dissuading the mooks they sent after me to be within the rules. If I succeeded I would have effectively mitigated the drawback, which was well within the rules as a Jumper but not common. If I failed, someone even more powerful and/or stubborn would suddenly want me to some reason.

To keep the mage subdued I warded a room with my [Mystical Energy (Void)] ability and locked him in with a couple of guards armed with automatic weapons. I also kept the jerk's staff, which turned out to be a mana-cost reducing item that I was determined to pick apart. The meeting was made for that very evening. I wondered if it was because I was open to negotiations, the mage I'd captured was really valuable, or the person who wanted me just had that time slot available. It didn't matter to me in the end, since I'd be getting paid and get a chance to break the drawback. Sung-Gon was with me now, and without his ring on he felt a lot more powerful than he had before. Coincidentally, petting a fire-breathing cerberus was really cool. It made me miss Ember, but I wasn't sure it was safe to bring her out this jump given my lowered power, hunted status, and the secrets I was keeping from both my host and everyone else. If the meeting went well I'd consider it.

When the time came Sung-Gon and I were waiting in his office with a single guard. A few minutes later a middle-aged woman in a dark top and long skirt entered the room, revealing more of Sung-Gon's guards and a couple of other figures outside that I didn't get a chance to study before the door closed. I stood by the window behind the desk, Sung-Gon was seated behind the desk, and the woman took the seat in front of it. She started off by sliding a briefcase full of won to Sung-Gon, who inspected it briefly before handing it to the guard to be counted. As we'd agreed beforehand, I addressed our guest next.

"What exactly do you want me for? I do commission work and wouldn't be opposed to a longer term deal as long as I was guaranteed safety for the duration." The woman looked annoyed, but responded patiently.

"One of the seers working for me predicted your arrival and that you could provide a near-infinite source of mana. As a broker, that was just too good to pass up. You certainly weren't going to be taken willingly given the effort you went through to hide yourself, so I sent capture squads. It's the way of the business."

I quirked and eyebrow and did my best not to let the loathing I had for this woman and everyone who did that sort of business show. This was slavery, and probably pretty brutal slavery at that. I hadn't liked the sensation of having my ki ripped away at all, and I was sure mana wouldn't be any more pleasant to forcibly lose. Sung-Gon snorted, having seen how quickly my mana regenerated when I worked for him and over the course of the time I'd stayed so far. What I'd showed was hardly infinite, but he didn't know all my secrets.

"I'll admit that I do regenerate mana very quickly, and even that I have a theory or two of how to store it such that it's not wasted when I hit my cap. I'd hardly call that near-infinite, and if I did have that kind of power I'd have remotely cursed you for even trying. What made you think this was a good idea, and why didn't you approach me to see if I'd be willing to charge things without being forced?"

Washu's voice popped into my head at this point, which I'd half been expecting. What I didn't expect was for time to freeze and for her to actually appear in front of me (in her kid-scientist form, as usual).

"Well, you're on the razor's edge rule-wise. Watching you try and break the drawback is more interesting than watching you become increasingly powerful to keep from being taken, but it's also counter to the main goal of the experiment. You're going to have to convince me before I decide how to call the rules here," she said in annoyance.

"Um..it's nice to see you, and I'd be happy to explain my strategy if you haven't already worked it out," I replied. She made a motion indicating I should continue.

"While I do get experience and substantial amounts of health and mana… err, HP and MP if you want to be technical, I seem to be getting the most use out of honing my skills. If I can mitigate the danger of being constantly attacked I can potentially get good enough that the Cheon Bu clan allow me to use their time-compressed Illusion Barrier/Instant Dungeon thing. That would get me a more consistent amount of experience than randomly being attacked with less risk and more skill growth in addition to the levels."

Washu looked pleased, but not totally convinced just yet. I was pretty sure she actually was, but wanted to hear more of my explanation. Either way I continued. Better safe than sorry, after all.

"This has the added benefit of meeting Han Jee-Han and introducing myself as player two. Since I have no idea of the plot beyond this point, I was hoping that I'd be able to guide him into a slightly more well-rounded character and do a power swap. He could teach me what he's been learning and possibly provide a front for me to sell things to the Cheon Bu clan without alerting them or Sung-Gon to my Gamer's Loot ability. Being trusted by him would in turn make it much more likely I'd get access to advanced Cheon Bu techniques and their training area if I hadn't already managed that."

Washu's grin spread as I spoke, and she actually came over and gave me a hug. My feelings at this point were a mixture of awkwardness and awe, before she stepped back and wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. Her shoulder puppets popped up, and those feelings quickly changed to annoyance and amusement in equal measures. This was always funny in the show, but also kind of irritating.

"They grow up so fast!" Washu wailed theatrically. The puppet on her left shoulder produced a handkerchief from somewhere and handed it to her so she could messily blow her nose, while the puppet on her right shoulder gave her a very cheerful look and said "you must be so proud! You're the greatest, Washu! Even your lab rats are great!"

That last bit made me twitch a bit, but I was genuinely grateful for the chance I'd been given. I missed my old boring life a little, but I really wanted to share my new powers with my wife and gush over whatever she'd gotten at some point. The things I'd been involved with over the last almost twelve years (part of which was a montage) were experiences I'd never have gotten without Washu's assistance. Once I became powerful enough to start stomping holes in the plot and problems of whatever world I was dropped into this would become a lot less stressful and a lot more fun and rewarding, since I'd also be able to help people. I'd come to accept it without even realizing I needed to.

"Does this mean you're ruling in my favor, Miss Washu?"

"Oh definitely," she replied with an enthusiastic nod, her cheering section going back to wherever they normally hid. "I liked your strategy before or I would have said something instead of just randomly supplying you with zubats to keep you on your toes." My eyebrow twitched at that. "You seem much more sensible than many of the other people who've been put through similar trials. I also appreciate you leaving the numbers to me for the most part. You may not have noticed but I've been tweaking things in the background to make them more compatible with future jumps. I've even adapted Gamer's Inventory so you can pull things out of pockets and other containers with it now."

That caught my attention, as it would be useful in concealing my unlimited inventory in worlds where hammer-space (see Ranma ½ and various other anime fandoms) and similar techniques weren't a thing. I was still running through the possible uses of it when she continued.

"Since you seem to be coming along well with magic but are keeping a good physical progression going too I have a few recommendations," she said and waited for my nod to continue. "You seem to lean much more heavily toward pen-and-paper gaming than video-gaming. The video-games you've played are mostly role-playing types with lots of options and at least a few alternate ways to resolve things. I'd like to see more of that, and as such I'm going to let you make shorter jumps if you achieve the objectives you set before you start them. The leftover time you will then be able to spend in other jumps or training your abilities in the Warehouse. I'll add a training room that will act like an Instant Dungeon you've made, but allow you to use the extra time you've accumulated." She gave me a very serious look here, but was still smiling a little.

"In exchange I want to see you really cut loose here, so I'm going to add another drawback that you stayed away from for safety. Anime Attack will give you targets without souls that you can kill guilt-free. You will of course be able to spend the points you'd gain from the new drawback, even though they technically go over the Jump Doc limit. Consider it a favor. This should eventually shut down the home branch of the Abyss Auction here in Seoul, which I know you feel strongly about. I'd buy whatever you can from them within the next year or two, since they'll be the first place hit."

I was nearly salivating at this point. I was still a little sick to my stomach about having killed the people sent to capture me earlier, and even if I knew it would be necessary at some point I didn't want to ever get to the point where I was completely comfortable with the practice. I sought clarification to ensure I understood exactly what was going to happen.

"So I'm going to be allowed to convince this woman," I gestured at the one frozen in front of the desk, "to leave me alone, thus breaking the Abyss Gazed Back drawback. You'll then add Anime Attack which will trigger in one year unless something happens to accelerate it, allowing me to spend the additional choice points and train as hard as possible before they get here. Is that correct, and is there anything else I need to know?" Washu nodded along until I got to the end.

"That's right. Just remember that you'll only get unlimited time compression this Jump, and you probably need some extra training to avoid death when Anime Attack kicks in. You're probably going to be attacked in public at some point too. Keep in mind that you do have a drawback that punishes you heavily for using supernatural powers in public, and since we're going rules-as-written you can't easily mitigate it or push the bad luck involved onto your enemies. You'll basically have to run or make it look like whatever happened they did it. Teleporting away and creating illusion barriers will be your best bet, with illusion barriers actually helping to lessen the impact of any other rule-breaking you may do in Gaia's proverbial eyes. Also: taking points in luck when you leveled up was a good idea, but it won't save you completely."

My eyes widened at the hint, and I pulled up the relevant prompt then reviewed the wording of Disproportionate Retribution. The penalty for using powers in public was "massive amounts of bad luck" for me, but if I had supernaturally good luck already that could be reduced to merely average human luck. Maybe. Drawbacks did trump perks after all, so it might just be crazy luck both good and bad. Washu had also pointed me to the Anchored Barrier perk, which would have saved me a little time initially. She smirked and disappeared before I could ask her how much to invest in luck, so I went back to my spot against the wall and waited for time to restart while mentally reviewing where I was in the conversation.

A little while later I got a dialog box telling me to spend my points, and introduced my palm to my face. Of course. I'd really wanted the Abyss Library for my warehouse before I left here, since it would do me the most good if it accumulated lore from every jump starting now instead of whenever I was able to afford it. It also cost the same four-hundred choice points that Anime Attack granted me, so the decision was between that and Illusion Technician, which would give me a significant head start on customizing my Instant Dungeons. Since I hoped to have access to the same benefits on my own, I decided to grab the library. Time restarted as soon as I'd finalized the purchase, and I waited for the woman to respond to my question about her motives. She seemed uncertain for a moment.

"I'm not actually sure why I went along with it. I can feel your power and it's not terribly impressive, but why did I go along with such a stupid prediction in the first place? It's ridiculous...and I don't remember which seer made it! Someone's messed with my head!"

By the end she was yelling, and the guards from outside the door had burst in to see what was going on. She refocused on me and the look on her face made me want to hide. Someone was going to pay for this, and I was pretty sure it wasn't Washu. Hopefully there would be less innocent loss of life than if she'd continued to send people after me, but I wasn't sure anyone in the mercenary business or the slave trade could really be considered innocent other than the slaves themselves. I briefly considered changing my skin color to a darker hue for a future jump to expand my life experiences, but decided that it was probably both disrespectful and potentially awful. I also didn't want anyone getting offended if I ever wrote about my time jumping. Best to leave that subject alone, then. Racism was a topic best avoided for anyone who'd ever been white, and I was pale as hell. Also, the woman had briefly talked to Sung-Gon about why someone would target me then left. He'd been quietly staring at me for who-knew how long while I was zoned out.

"Sorry, my mind was in a completely different place. I was trying to figure out who wanted me dead, but couldn't think of anyone other than my mother if she ever finds out I'm still alive and didn't even leave a note. Or that I stopped going to my college classes when you found me. This started before that."

He nodded, but looked extremely disapproving. Not leaving a note was apparently more than just rude, and I got the feeling he was going to force me into facing my mother at some point so I went ahead and headed him off there.

"Yes, I'll meet or talk to her if you think it can be done safely. Someone pointed that woman in my direction, and I hoped that by leaving without saying anything my mother would be at least a little safer for it. Even if she wasn't, I was. It would also allow her to assume I was dead and move on with her life. We weren't terribly close anyway."

His face softened a bit, but only just. We talked for a while and came to an agreement about both the monetary reward for returning my attacker and calling my mother. He actually guilted me into doing to right there in his office while he watched. That made getting yelled at by my clearly crying mother even more difficult than it already had been, but made it easier to explain the situation when I could hand over the phone to someone highly connected and good at sounding official that could vouch for my being attacked several times already. When he handed the phone back to me I said my goodbyes to my only known in-Jump relative, indicating that it would probably be for the final time. I felt horrible.

Not only had I abandoned my mother in this Jump; I couldn't recall a single time I'd called, texted, or otherwise contacted my mother in the previous one. She'd never attended my graduation because she never knew I'd graduated. The only way she'd known I was still alive was probably by contacting Sabrina. Maybe she'd been at one or more of the ceremonies and I just didn't talk to her? How much of an ass had I been without even realizing it? And why didn't I care more?

I examined the feelings closely as I returned to my room, and came to a few conclusions. One: while my memories of everything after the first jump started until it ended were perfect they also lacked emotional context. I wasn't forming real attachments to the people I had theoretical backgrounds with because I was by nature introverted to the point of being freakishly antisocial. Two: even if my memory was "perfect," I wouldn't remember something I never thought about or looked for. My train of thought simply wouldn't "stop there." Three: this was both not entirely my fault and not entirely a bad thing. I should have put more effort into cutting those connections with minimal emotional damage, but at the same time they needed to be cut since I had a limited amount of time in each world. There was also safety to consider. At least in this world knowing me was dangerous, and my mother didn't have any real way to defend herself. Four: I needed to choose drop-in or do my best not to hurt people any more than necessary in the future when I did need to end relationships. Finally, five: I should probably take Washu's (and by proxy my wife's) advice from before I started the Pokémon jump and try to live a little instead of just accumulating power.

So my next jump should be somewhere I could make friends and hopefully do good without risking my life too much. Two of my planned jumps came immediately to mind, one of them significantly more dangerous than the last: Ranma ½ and Naruto. While Ranma would allow me to make friends and learn a lot, Naruto would allow me to do more good and gain more power doing it. If I thought I was powerful enough at the end of this jump I would pick Naruto, since the skill and powers I'd gain there would make Ranma significantly easier to manage. At some point I wanted to visit a couple of other old anime favorites like Sailor Moon and Tenchi Muyo. I could do a lot of good for the world of Sailor Moon if I had enough power, and I could do a lot of good for a couple of people in Tenchi. Both would allow me to make friends, but Tenchi might be a problem depending on how my Washu handled it. Giggling and snorting in my head alerted me that a Tenchi jump would at least be interesting.

What would I do after that, though? My ultimate goals and the goals Washu had set for the experiment required me to be the best shapeshifter I'd ever seen, a stupidly powerful magic user, and eventually a god more powerful than baseline Washu. How was I supposed to become a god, and how could I elevate that to multi-dimensional entity more powerful than a creator? It struck me that there were only a couple of options I knew to become a god, and only two things I knew of that would allow me to become as powerful as I was supposed to. Okami would allow me to become a minor god, Black and White and/or its sequel would allow me to do the same in a completely different way and should provide me with both immortality and the ability to exist without a body at all. Was there a Jump Doc for that? Washu would know. Both would require me to have worshippers to use more powerful abilities, but that was where my second set of possibilities came in. If I could become the Master of Death from the Harry Potter-verse it would technically give me power over an entity that at least equalled a creator deity, and if I could somehow become, absorb, replace, or gain mastery over one of the Endless from the DC-Verse I would gain a similar status. I hated the idea of slavery, so I'd see if Washu could arrange a situation that would allow me to become or replace one of the entities in question. If that didn't work out I'd have to try and manually gain enough power as a god to create my own multiverse then advance from there.

How did one going about collecting worship from multiple universes anyway? It was probably an innate godly ability to gain power from the universe they were in, but how- I stopped. It didn't matter right now. I was in much less danger than I had been, but I needed to get much stronger very quickly. I also needed to find a way to protect myself more effectively from magic and ki, and more importantly protect my soul against tampering. I knew of at least two anime that involved people with the ability to rip out or damage souls, and one of them was mentioned explicitly in the Anime Attack drawback. Uchiha Madara was a character from Naruto, which I planned to tromp around in at some point anyway. It was time to pay my benefactor a visit and see how far his knowledge of necromancy really went, and whether it could help me protect myself from what was coming.


	11. Chapter 11

Hwan Sung-Gon was frustrated, but stoic. He was always stoic, and he was used to being frustrated. Usually he was frustrated because no matter how much power he gathered, no matter what sacrifices he made, his beloved daughter continued to suffer from the necromantic curse that that plagued the Hwan family for thirteen generations before her birth. Now he was frustrated because the no-name ward expert he'd picked to help hide said daughter when he stepped up operations had somehow cured his daughter completely and even conferred some sort of life-energy blessing in the process. In doing so the man, Wren Black, had put him in such a debt he didn't think he'd ever be able to truly pay it back. He'd stopped the slow death of the heiress to the Hwan family, and in so doing ensured that future generations would not suffer as those before them.

When Wren had accepted protection and limited tuition, he'd seen a way to at least mitigate the debt somewhat by saving the man's life as many times as he could. He and his men had not been necessary for Wren's survival even once before the situation had been resolved, and the help he'd provided to arrange the meeting that ultimately resolves the need for bodyguards and accommodation was still insignificant compared to what was owed. There was no way he'd offer his daughter's hand in marriage unless they fell in love, and so far Wren had only even looked at her when he needed to heal her or for the sake of being polite.

The man himself was also exceptionally odd. He was constantly practicing either magic or martial arts (understandable given the threat to his life), barely spoke to anyone outside of greetings and other such niceties, had shown no interest sexual or romantic in anyone of any gender, and actively practiced life magic in a house full of powerful necromancers without apparent discomfort. He'd seen Wren studying necromancy books a few times, but they always had holy magic or something similar open beside them.

The cleaning staff reported that the man's room was almost barren, always clean with the exception of clothes left in the hamper, and that said clothing was never dirty despite being left in said hamper. The few times there was any sort of mess was when he was practicing one of the esoteric crafts he seemed interested in, and that was cleaned up as soon as he was done. The supplies he used to practice were never seen when they weren't in use, not even the anvil he'd somehow acquired without ordering one or going to any sort of store. It was baffling.

On top of all that was his tendency to zone out at times, sometimes for minutes on end. Sung-Gon knew the man was exceptionally good at sensing magic and had ordered at least one book on both ki and psychic practices, but he'd actually checked and instructed the guards to do the same: they'd never found anything unusual around the house when Wren got that far-away look on his face. He didn't even seem to notice when the guards checked with their comrades via radio to ensure they hadn't missed anything. Some of the staff speculated that he was actually a priest in disguise, and that he'd been targeted as part of a plot to wipe out the worshippers of his god or goddess.

Sung-Gon had seriously entertained the idea, and still wasn't ready to completely dismiss it. The miraculous healing abilities could easily be channeled divine power. They certainly felt like it. It would also explain the man's prodigious mana regeneration if he was actually channeling power rather than using his own at least part of the time. The strange behavior could be a mix of paranoia, post-traumatic stress, and whatever method he used to commune with whatever deity he worshipped. Nobody had ever spotted a recognizable holy symbol, but he himself (and probably a few of the staff and extended family) had offered prayers of thanks to whatever power Wren served. They would probably continue to do so for generations to come.

He could say with some confidence that Sung-Ah was not in love with the man, but she might become so and was definitely obsessed. She'd built a shrine in her room of things the man had made but discarded, including several with odd symbols and magical effects. She also wore a pair of discarded fingerless gloves the man had made and enchanted with the same aura he'd used to heal her and spent an unusually long time whenever she meditated in the room where the energy was first used on the property. She'd actually managed to turn the aura part of the ward back on and off again several times, and was starting to emit a faint silvery-white glow when she meditated or slept. Whatever blessing Wren had placed on her was growing so powerful that other members of the family were coming back to the country to spend time with her. With extended contact their own symptoms retreated or were washed away entirely. If Sung-Ah ever found out the name of Wren's god she would probably become a priestess. It looked like she might do that even without a name.

It was after having spent a great deal of time contemplating all of this that Wren approached him about learning how to protect himself and others from soul magics and other less dangerous forms of necromancy. Being something of an expert on the subject and eager to repay the debt, he'd agreed immediately and began teaching the basics to the resident priest. The youth soaked up knowledge like a sponge, especially practical applications. When introduced to the idea that a soul stone was actually composed of solidified soul fragments he'd been initially horrified, but was mollified with the explanation that souls routinely split as living things grew, reproduced, and died. He'd asked a few pointed questions about the practice of deliberately splitting a soul and was told sternly that such practices were unnatural and unwise in the extreme. They damaged the core of one's soul as opposed to the offshoots that came with natural growth, death, and reproduction. To do such a thing to anyone was truly evil, and he solemnly agreed with an expression of such sadness and understanding that he had to have encountered the practice before.

The first true form of soul magic the young man learned was exorcism. You didn't need to be able to see a soul to know a place was haunted, and there were plenty of places that needed to be cleansed after a ritual went wrong or some idiot summoned a spirit and didn't bother to banish it after. He was remarkably good at it, which only reinforced the idea that he was indeed a priest of some hidden order or other. The fact that his exorcisms tended to come with silver-white holy light and he'd accidentally exorcised a demon he'd mistaken for a poltergeist provided further proof.

The second form of soul magic the priest learned was how to sense and see them. He clearly couldn't tell the difference between a ghost and a demon at first glance, and knowing the difference could be important in the future. After Sung-Gon had described the process, the young man had gotten the technique down in minutes. Clearly he'd been forced to flee his order (or said order had been routed, given he'd been living with this mother and anticipated trouble) before his training was complete, but had a great deal of potential and at least partial training.

The third form of soul magic the priest learned was warding, which again seemed to come naturally. That may have been because he already knew a fair bit about magic anchored to a location, but he'd picked it up so quickly it was almost like he already knew how to prevent spirits of entering or leaving a given location. This accomplishment lead to the prize the young man wanted: how to anchor a soul in place. While normally done with dark magic, there were historical versions available in the family's private library that were based on holy magic and druidic practices. He combined them with his holy light in such a way that his soul was saturated with the protection, not even wisps of growth going unprotected. It looked almost exactly like what had happened to Sung-Ah, which only left Sung-Gon even more grateful that this young man had been able to heal and bless her so. The expression he'd made coupled with a several minute long zone-out when he completed the technique on himself would have been odd for anyone else, but was pretty much normal for him.

With the development of both a ward against soul magic and a soul-deep protection against necromancy in general, Wren's mastery of life magic escalated from miraculous to indescribable. He altered the ward in the clinic to actually stave off death by holding the souls of those near death in place and bathing them in healing light. The light itself was still uncomfortable for the members of the Hwan family with stabilized Black Souls resulting from the family curse, but with exposure it was becoming less so. He banished malevolent spirits with a look, and demons without even that. The Hwan family had been renowned for its services related to necromancy before Wren Black's arrival, but they were actually gaining a reputation for cleansing and life magic the longer the man stayed and accepted jobs as training.

Sung-Gon became both concerned and hopeful when his daughter Sung-Ah finally confronted the young man and asked to be inducted into his order. When they closed themselves into a hastily warded room together for over an hour his concern grew, and it did so again when his daughter emerged starry-eyed and reverent. She denied anything indecent had happened, and said she now understood the secrecy of their guest. She was also able to wield the holy light consciously, and the shrine in her room finally gained a hand-painted symbol two weeks later. It depicted an island dominated by a cherry tree in full blossom. At the base of the tree a pure-black cat curled around an unusually colored hedgehog, both of them large enough that they were easily visible through the branches of the tree. He'd never seen such a thing, and asking his daughter about it revealed that it was actually a symbol of two demi-gods: lovers, long separated but striving for the power to return.

"Demi-gods? Not gods?" He asked his daughter carefully. She nodded at him solemnly and gestured to the cat.

"I will tell only you, father. I believe this is our guest, locked in his current form by forces greater than he while he strives to ascend fully. He would not admit to it, only telling me a story and showing me the image with his magic, but I now know the power I wield comes from him. I have seen it: when I summon the divine light it flows from him. When I pray it grows subtly stronger. He will never be my husband, but he will always be my god."

Sung-Gon was understandably shocked by this revelation, and not a little skeptical. He decided to see for himself where this energy came from by more carefully observing his guest. It made no sense that the young man's soul hadn't already been saturated in such energy before he arrived if he was indeed descended from divinity, but his soul had looked very strange even the first time they'd met. It was unlikely, but possible that the young man was indeed a demigod just coming into his powers. Either way the he'd brought light and life into their home where all others had failed, and he hadn't outright claimed divine ancestry. Somewhere undefinable, a Washu smiled widely. It had begun. After all: in a world where the planet itself was sentient and the combined cultural experiences of a nation could give rise to godlike entities with a little push from magic, what would happen if an actual god gave a push?

It took Sung-Gon nearly two weeks of observation to come to the conclusion that his daughter was at least partially correct, and maybe fully so. When observed very closely, Wren's holy energy seemed to come from within and had outgoing trails leading off in the direction of Sung-Ah and a few of the staff without him noticing. They faded when they got more than a few feet from the young man, but the people who triggered these events were always introspective or grateful to Wren just before his aura changed. The holy aura around the young man himself grew ever-so-slightly brighter in these moments and at other seemingly random times, but the change always seemed to come from within.

It was still possible the increasingly power holy aura and the effects on his staff and daughter were the result of an ongoing spell effect, but he didn't think so. Wren had never come in direct contact with some of the staff, and it appeared to spread more with the rumors of the man's priesthood than anything else. It also affected staff that hadn't been to the house or in contact with others that exhibited "symptoms" of the holy energy. Just in case, he'd checked the wards and called in a few favors to have them checked again. There was nothing to indicate another source for the energy expect the deactivated holy ward in the medical room, and Wren had created that in front of him.

When the young man wasn't studying or practicing, he was crafting. Sometimes the results were ordinary and sometimes they were supernatural in nature, but the quality of the items was consistently getting better at a pace that suggested suggested at least somewhat accelerated learning and a great deal of natural talent. That would explain a bit more of why he seemed to learn magic so quickly during tutoring, but not enough to shake Sung-Gon's feeling that he'd already known some of what was being taught.

The day Wren started wearing a pair of fingerless gloves like those his daughter had found was interesting to say the least. Every spell the young man cast was more efficient when channeled through them, and his tutors at the Cheon Bu compound reported that he seemed to have started using ki to enhance his speed, strength, and endurance subconsciously. Sung-Gon wasn't sure how the two things could be related so he brushed it off as coincidence, but that very same day he heard mad laughter outside and found an illusion barrier. When he entered, Wren was flying around bouncing a spell off both the gloves and some sort of free-moving barrier spell like it was a ball.

A few days later a set of combat boots and a wristwatch were added to Wren's new equipment, the boots radiating magic like the gloves while the watch seemed ever so slightly wrong to Sung-Gon's senses. Both boots and gloves were studded with small spots of silvery and smoky gray metal in alternating patterns, while the gloves acquired a set of complementary bracers that also radiated magic. Somehow all of the items suddenly stopped feeling like anything other than regular clothing and accessories two weeks after that.


	12. Chapter 12

I worked myself into a frenzy to prepare for the enemies promised by Anime Attack. Uchiha Madara was the only one I was sure would show up, and if the others were on par with him I was fucked in any one-on-one confrontation. Foregoing sleep altogether and relying on healing magic to keep my health and mental fatigue in check I threw myself into crafting, magic, and martial arts with a fervor I never thought I was capable of. I actually mastered Tai-Chi according to the Gamer's Skills perk, and had earned [Basic Ki Mastery] and several levels in [Weapon Mastery (Unarmed)] for my trouble.

When I needed a break from other projects I approached Sung-Gon about soul magic and necromancy with the aim of learning to protect myself and others from the kind of crazy soul-sucking powers that showed up in anime. I barely noticed the messages when my stats went up from training and studying anymore.

Sung-Gon taught me how souls grew and propagated, what happened to them when people died before they moved on to the afterlife, how what was left behind sometimes condensed into soul stones, and how they affected the bodies that usually housed them. Really, I learned more than I ever thought he would be willing to teach anyone outside the family, including exactly how badly Voldemort had screwed himself up in the Potter-Verse when I asked about the effects of deliberately tearing the soul. That poor bastard wasn't going to heaven, hell, or any other afterlife after what he'd done. There was apparently a difference between messing with the growing portion of the soul and the core soul, the latter being BAD, while the former could be alright if done correctly.

Learning exorcism for malevolent spirits had been pretty quick, since I mostly just bathed an area in [Pearl/Holy] until whatever spirit was there left. After that I had to pick up a trick to push out everything else as they weren't affected by my former method. There may also have been an incident with a demon but I couldn't quite tell what happened through Sung-Gon's laughing. That was one messed up ghost, though.

When I received a notification for the [Soul Magic (Exorcism)] skill and that it was being folded into [Pearl/Holy], I also got an unexpected one saying that [Pearl/Holy] had been revised to [Holy] by Washu because the joke was getting old. There was still a note of it in the skill description, so I wasn't terribly upset by this.

Being able to sense and see souls had been an eye-opening experience. I could tell an experienced necromancer by sight, and most of the Hwan family qualified. It was a bit disquieting, especially when I realized that the Sung-Ah was exactly the opposite since I'd healed her. Her soul was like a shining beacon in the darkness of the house that I did my best to ignore, though it was more distracting than the dark blotches of the others. Examining my own soul showed a great deal of the same [Holy] energy coming from within along with my mana. It was also a little bit like trying to lick your own elbow, which is to say it was difficult but not impossible with my stats and a little creativity.

When Sung-Gon touched on how souls interacted with wards I finally found what he'd been looking for: a well-defined but somewhat flexible way of interacting with souls beyond "push them out, they're dead and I want them out of my house." Combining the ability to trap or anchor a soul in place with [Holy] and a little bit of magic based on old Jewish and Druidic traditions lead me to ways to both anchor my own soul in place and infuse it with [Holy] magic to help counteract any other necromantic shenanigans that might be thrown at me. It wasn't full-on death effect immunity or necromancy immunity, but it was as close as I was reasonably going to get in the time I had.

I practiced my new abilities by taking contracts through the Hwan family to exorcise or otherwise cleanse various locations and items. This seemed to please a great number of people, but I really couldn't be bothered to care as long as I wasn't hurting anyone and was getting better at the skills I'd need to survive. When I got experience points for a couple of the exorcism jobs I started taking on more difficult ones for a while, but ultimately only gained one level before I felt I needed to move on to the next priority. All of the stat points for that level went into luck, and I noted my wisdom was a little lower than I'd like for the future.

My next one-on-one class with the Cheon Bu clan they finally gave me access to their training area, and my productivity shot up. I spent as much time in there practicing magic and martial arts as I possibly could, getting something like eighty hours of practice a day and raking in experience and loot by the truckload. My underwear were now tiger-striped, though I'd made sure to wash them quite thoroughly first. The rest of the loot I shoved in my inventory and forgot about, which in hindsight wasn't a great idea. I was hoping to encounter Han Jee-Han soon, but so far I hadn't. Didn't he work for Cheon Bu by using Gamer's Loot to generate items for them to sell?

Whenever I returned to the Hwan home I practiced crafting, and I finally hit upon another of my goals when some of my newly-learned magical theories that allowed me to turn [Modular Spellcasting and Wards] into [Modular Spellcasting, Enchanting, and Warding]. With that and a lot of study of the staff I'd nabbed from the last mage (wanker) who'd attacked me I finally worked out how to craft an effective magical focus. My first set of gloves wasn't nearly as useful as the staff, but I kept at it. Whatever wasn't up to my standards I either practiced my [Mystical Energy Sense] and [Modular Spellcasting, Enchanting, and Warding] by picking apart or I simply sold them through the Hwans. It took me days and a ton of mana to improve the efficiency to something I was comfortable with, and it turned out I'd accidentally brute-forced an enchantment to make the gloves nearly indestructible in the process. That was great, because I didn't want to go making more any time soon. I would examine the enchantment and learn to do it right later.

Since I had a useful focus with which to reduce my mana costs I moved on to making the gloves more useful for other things. Two thin strips of conjured leather were carefully enchanted to produce [Force Wall]s, but I still wasn't satisfied. I knew there were a lot of different fictional worlds where deflecting or even reflecting magic was trivial, so I decided to try it. Tossing balls of pure mana at surfaces that were supposed to be reflective ate through quite a few temporarily conjured barriers before I had any success at all, but even a tiny amount of success was enough to allow me to create a new spell using Gamer's Skills. Studying the resulting spell and how it worked allowed me to add it to the leather strips already imbued with [Force Wall], which I then added to the insides of the gloves such that they'd produce barriers over the backs of my hands and allow me to smack things out of the way be they magical or not.

Since I now had a [Reflect] ability, I practiced it until I could apply it as a shield around my entire body. The original spell had been more a wall than anything else, but thanks to Gamer's Skills it wasn't terribly difficult to adapt. While I was at it, I started working on a variant of Han Jee-Han's [Mana Shield]. I duplicated the creation process I'd seen in the source material, then took it a step further by welding some aspects of [Holy] into it and coming out the other side with something that could block HP damage in exchange for MP at a set rate, which I really hoped to improve as I grew more skilled at it. The Gamer ability apparently saw the two spells as separate, as it called the new ability [Mana Protection]. Practicing the both was as simple as creating a wall with [Reflect] anchored to it and hurling mana bolts at myself until they each levelled up a dozen times. Since my mana regenerated passively in about two minutes at that point I estimated it would be a fairly effective defense. I was also getting something like four HP damage mitigated per one MP now, which indicated my assumption had been right about the [Mana Protection] ratio improving. It'd started out at one HP per two MP.

It was when I was contemplating how to get the most out of the time remaining that I came up with the idea of buying slaves from the Abyss Auction before it went dark. I'd do my best to free them, and getting them out would presumably save them from the initial attacks predicted by Washu. Now that it occurred to me I really couldn't see any better way to spend my remaining money than to help save other people. It wasn't like I needed materials anymore, and I made enough from selling the items I enchanted and services I'd learned that supporting them shouldn't be too difficult. That they themselves could work to help him set them free would only make it easier. How was I supposed to get that by Sung-Hon though? The one time I'd brought up slaves and the associated magic the man had nearly blown his top. I most likely wouldn't be allowed to stay in the house if I brought it up again, let alone bought any. I'd bring it up but be prepared to leave, then. I needed to figure out a way to warn people of the upcoming attack without setting the damn thing off early.

-

Two days after my revelation about how to save at least a few of the Abyss Action slaves I was approached by Sung-Ah, who asked to speak in private. When I lead to her a room and warded it for privacy, she asked to join religion. It was weird, but I think I got through to her that I wasn't any sort of priest in the end.

"You want to join my what now?" I asked, confused.

"I want to join your religion. You're obviously a priest, and both you and your god have done so much for my family I feel it's the only way to even begin to repay that debt. It would also benefit my family to have such a practitioner, if I were to become a priestess."

"I'm not a priest. What made you think I was a priest? Have I been so zoned out I ended up staring at a mess of passing choirboys?"

"What? No! You channel divine energy, you cured me and conferred such a powerful blessing it's even helping those around me, and take to priestly training like no one I've ever heard of! You're obviously at least partly trained in most of the things you're learning already!"

"Um… I do channel holy energy, yes. I don't get it from a god though. I mean, there was a Goddess involved but she doesn't provide the power or anything."

"You...what?"

"I don't worship any gods."

"Then where do you get divine energy!?"

"It's mine," I replied smugly, still happy that I'd managed to create [Holy], the ability previously known as [Pearl/Holy]. I was a little bit in my happy place for a moment and might have missed what Sung-Ah said next, so I just continued.

"I make it. It's a part of me and comes from me."

Sung-Ah stared at me incredulously, then stared at me intently while muttering to herself for a moment. I didn't understand what she said, so I naturally asked "what was that?" Her eyes widened and she muttered again, quietly enough that I barely heard her.

"It's still not quite getting through, sorry."

Her face was white as a sheet now, and she just stared at me for a few minutes. Her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

"What? Are you ok?"

Emotions ran across her face too quickly for me to accurately read, but they settled somewhere between resignation and awe. Her posture straightened ever so slightly and she addressed me in a calm voice. Mostly.

"What is your symbol, my lord?"

What the hell was she calling me a lord for? Was that a thing in modern South Korea? I didn't remember anything like that from my inherited memories or from my first life, so if it was it must have been an Abyss thing.

"You mean like my crest or something? It's a little hard to describe...I can try and make an illusion of it, though."

She nodded her head solemnly, but said nothing. I concentrated on manipulating mana into a way I'd seen before, but only touched on when I created [Holy]. The result was a little off-color and still felt like [Holy], but I eventually cobbled together an image of a lone cherry tree in full blossom sitting on an island just big enough to support it. Cuddled beneath its branches were a housecat and a pygmy hedgehog, but scaled up in size to be easily seen against the tree and behind the branches. She studied it intently for...a while. I was actually starting to get uncomfortable when she spoke next.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Basic Illusion!]

"Which represents you?" She asked.

I wasn't quite sure how she'd guessed my wife and I designed the thing such that we were personally represented, but I indicated the cat anyway.

"Does the crest mean anything in particular? Why this imagery?" She continued. I contemplated her for a moment before answering. This conversation had gotten weird a few miles back and was turning into surreal territory as far as I was concerned, and I wanted it over with.

"The water and the island represent seclusion, peace, and cleansing. The tree represents love and life, and the cycles of such things. They are hot, cold and everything in between but they are also eternal. There are some types of trees that are genetically immortal, did you know?"

She was making that weird face again. The one I didn't know quite how to interpret. I continued, trying to get this over with.

"The hedgehog is a kind of totem to my wife, and represents her in the picture. The cat is the same for me. Every time I imagine the darn thing it's a different kind of cat, though. I'm not sure why. We're trying to find each other again, but we've both been given separate...quests, I guess. We have to get stronger before we'll be re-united. I haven't seen her in...a long time."

Her eyes locked with mine, and she addressed me once more. Her tone indicated she was trying to ensure she understood, and I hoped that meant we would be done soon. I had stuff to do and this whole social thing was getting on my nerves, and the topic was making it worse. I missed my wife, and it would be a long time before I saw her again.

"You are your own source of divine power, a goddess was involved in that, you cured me with that power and conveyed a blessed so powerful it's also helping those around me, your crest is this image, the cat represents you, the hedgehog represents your wife, and you've both been given quests to gain power before you can see each other again?"

"Um...yeah. That sounds about right."

She nodded slowly, then settled her hands into a prayer position for a few moments while staring me in the eyes. Whatever she was looking for she apparently got, as she left soon after. Hopefully she wouldn't call me a priest anymore.

-

Sung-Gon started giving me odd looks after that, and when I approached him about slaves he seemed a lot more willing to listen than last time. When I explained my idea of buying a ton of them and assigning them to research ways to free themselves and useful skills to have if we were able to free them he looked a little more enthusiastic, but still wary.

"Your idea has merit, but I cannot afford to associate my family with slavery. I will not order them for you, and you cannot order them yourself without putting yourself in danger from whoever started the mana broker after you."

We argued for a bit after that, me trying to convince him it was the right thing to do and him telling me it was too dangerous to do myself and would drag his family's reputation lower than even their necromancy had. I finally got so frustrated I just said the first thing that came to mind. Apparently Gamer's Mind wasn't perfect, and neither was I.

"They're all going to die, damnit! We need to get as many as we can out before it happens!"

Sung-Gon stared at me, eyebrows raised. I parsed over what I'd just said and realized I had erred, then decided to go along with it.

"I had a premonition, ok? There's a bunch of Japanese mages left after what the Auction people did to them, and they're going to do some sort of ritual that sends very powerful things after the whole of the Korean Abyss. They're going to start by destroying as much of the Auction as they can, since it was the Korean branch and one of their backing clans that did most of the killing. Please: I'm trying to save lives, and I didn't know any way to tell you about the coming threat without sounding insane!"

The staring continued, but the emotions crossing his face indicated his thoughts were racing. Confusion, doubt, something I couldn't identify, then more doubt that slowly faded to determination.

"How much did you see, and what must we do to prepare?"

[A new quest has been created: Help Prepare the Abyss for Anime Attack!]

I sagged with relief. This would make things much easier, especially if Sung-Gon could somehow convince others to help as well. I didn't care how he convinced them: he could tell them I had a vision, he could tell them he had a spy network and they'd picked up word of the Japanese mages, he could even just start ordering people around and pulling strings. The timetable was relatively set, and I still had most of a year before the earliest time Washu said it would happen. Any preparation was better than none, and hopefully we wouldn't set the damn thing off early.

I explained that some time in the next one to two years there would be an attack by what might be strange hybrids of summoned creatures and golems, since they took the form of fictional characters and had the powers of said characters. I believed they would hit the Abyss Auction first, but even if they weren't first they would still be attacked with overwhelming force. The few powers I could predict with some certainty were supernatural strength, speed, agility, and endurance, the ability to manipulate minds and souls, illusions, and various elemental powers. His look of understanding when I mentioned the ability to manipulate souls was followed by a dark look, though thankfully not directed at me.

After telling him what I knew about what was coming, I told him about my plans: I wanted to disseminate at least low-level healing and stabilization powers, figure out a way to make myself and whoever else was most likely to confront these beasts more physically capable, and find as many was to shield against mind techniques and esoteric energies as possible. I was fairly certain that between the Hwan and myself we could impart some sort of resistance to soul magics to our allies, so I'd need to escalate the training of at least a few healers to something nearer druids or priests in order to use the lighter version of the soul anchoring technique. Then I brought up the Cheon Bu, and said they had at least two people we needed as allies. When he asked who, I reluctantly parted with the information.

"Their Elder and one of their contractors, maybe some of the higher disciples as well. The contractor has an odd aura about him, and it seems to grow more quickly than mine does. I've seen him with the Cheon Bu heir. He'll end up fighting either way, but I think we have a better chance with him informed beforehand. I wish we could put a message out to the Abyss in general, but when I consider the possibility I just get chills about what would happen. I don't think it would be wise."

He nodded seriously, and to my amusement looked a little alarmed when I mentioned Han Jee-Han. The Hwan and Cheon Bu were not allies, but they were acquaintances at this point and Sung-Gon should have encountered Jee-Han before I even arrived in this world. Relations with the Cheon Bu had gotten steadily better since I healed Sung-Ah and started doing non-necromancy work as a Hwan representative. Since I also studied with them and had gained a modest amount of trust, they might believe what I had to say. If that didn't work I could try to corner and convince Han Jee-Han that he needed to be immensely stronger and be able to deal with a few specific things, just in case. Finally, Sung-Gon addressed me.

"I will retrieve what books we have on mind magics from the family library, then send a message to gather the family. Convincing the Cheon Bu of what you've told me would be more difficult than it's worth, but convincing them of an unspecified threat with the specific powers you've mentioned shouldn't take long. You will study the mind magics and train as much as you can. If what you say is true we will need you, and if it's not I will be expelling you from my home at the end of two years. Whether you truly believe what you're saying or not I will honor the debt we owe you by doing what I can to prepare, but that will be the last of our dealings if you're wrong or lying to me."

I nodded solemnly, thanking Washu, Gaia, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster in that order. I had more training to do.

-

I had to get copies made of some of the books on mind magic, since they contained actual spells that I could learn by absorbing the books and didn't want to destroy the originals. I made sure to keep at least two spare copies of each of the skill books after I read them. One was for my library and one was for Jee-Han. I needed to meet him soon. Training against each-other under time dilation would undoubtedly be the best way to quickly gain both skill and experience. I also made time to write up a guide to the most basic uses of [Holy]: healing and removing debuffs, which I termed cleansing. When Sung-Ah found out she stole the finished product, then showed up a few days later with a stack of hard-bound copies and refused to return my original notes. I was grateful, but confused by both her behavior and her enthusiasm. I'd had to re-write those notes when I couldn't find them on my desk, and she hadn't needed to admit to taking them or make books out of them.

When I finally met Han Jee-Han in the Cheon Bu illusion barrier, he had just finished speaking to the Cheon Bu heir about something. He turned around, took a look above my head, and gaped like a fish. I hadn't been paying attention to the names, titles, and professions floating over people's heads since I got here, just their levels. That meant I'd forgotten he'd immediately see my profession "The Gamer" and might freak out. I made a shushing gesture at him, then indicated he should follow me a short distance away from the entrance. I wasn't sure why he went along with it, but it helped so I wasn't complaining. Also, he started the conversation. That was nice, since I didn't have to try and come up with a greeting.

"You're like me! I thought I was the only one! Your level is lower, though. Want to party up?"

"Eheh..actually, I do. That's not the only reason I'm here though. Han Jee-Han, you can call me Wren or Player Two. There's a threat coming that means we both need to grow more powerful very quickly, and the Cheon Bu will need to prepare if you can convince them. Also, I have skill books that you need to learn."

"Ok, I was going to ask you to leave so I could work until I saw you were a Gamer too. That's going to take a while to get used to. Are you sure you want to give up skill books, knowing I'm like you? And do you know anything more about this threat?"

"Yes and yes, but I don't know how much you're believe. If at all possible I'd like to do a book exchange with you, especially if you can convince the Cheon Bu to allow me to learn some of their family art from the books. I was trying not to reveal the full scope of my ability to anyone, but since they already know about you it should be ok. I hope."

Jee-Han nodded thoughtfully, and held out his hand. I deliberately triggered my inventory window and sent him a party invite, which he accepted without comment. Grabbing the copied books on mind magic and the one printed one I'd gotten back from Sung-Ah about my [Holy] magic, I handed them to him. He wordlessly absorbed the [Holy] book and threw the rest in his inventory. His face practically lit up when he read the descriptions for the [Holy] spells.

"I can cure debuffs without soul stones now! Awesome! Thanks!"

"No problem. If you're up for it I'd like to practice the mind magic with you some time we're not grinding kills. That way we'll both get better at attack and defense as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, no problem! What's your power set, anyway? Your stats are only a little skewed toward mental abilities."

That reminded me, I needed to spend my skill points from levelling up. I opened the status window while we talked, and raised my intelligence and luck to eighty one and fifty, then spent the remaining points on dexterity to boost my speed, agility, and reflexes.

[By raising your intelligence to fifty, you've gain the skill: Mana Affinity!]  
[By raising your luck to fifty, you've gained the skill: High Roller!]

I quickly ran through the effects of both new skills, and noted with interest that [Mana Affinity] was actually really amazing. If it wasn't maximum level already I'd have been ecstatic, but I was still pretty pleased with myself. [High Roller] was odd. It raised the maximum amount and level of loot that spawned, but it also said I'd gained the eyes of both Lady Luck and Gaia. Given that Gaia was already watching me I wasn't sure that was actually a good thing.

"I'm actually an all-rounder with a specialty in healing and utility techniques. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm a mage. Blaster all the way!"

"Alright. I guess that means I'm in front, but we'll both try to keep a distance?"

"Works for me. Let's kill some ogres!"

We spent the next three days or so doing just that, which meant about seven hours had passed outside. I gave Jee-Han my portion of the loot and all the random non-skill stuff I'd accumulated from my zombie runs except the soul stones. Since I didn't have an Abyss Auction account he agreed to sell it all for me in exchange for splitting the entire take fifty-fifty, my old loot included. Jee-Han hadn't known about the ability to go without sleep if you used healing spells, so he was pleasantly surprised when he found out. I picked up another sixteen levels and Jee-Han gained twelve, putting us both in the high twenties. When we took a break I looked at my stats again to attribute points then raised wisdom, vitality, and dexterity to fifty for the bonus skills.

[By raising your dexterity to fifty, you've gained the skill: Basic Speedster!]  
[By raising your vitality to fifty, you've gain the skill: Basic Strong Body!]  
[By raising your wisdom to fifty, you've gain the skill: Basic Strong Spirit!]

[Basic Speedster] was a skill that passively boosted my agility, reflexes, and speed but could also be actively engaged to speed me up even more. The best part was that it gained experience when I used it actively, which meant I finally had a way to keep up with super-speedy anime characters! [Basic Strong Body] looked a lot like the Gamer's version of the Ranma ½ Breaking Point technique's endurance, which was...well, it left me speechless for a moment. I was completely immune to any damage under a certain threshold. That was a step toward invulnerability! Unfortunately it didn't look like it scaled, which was terribly disappointing for me but did make sense if it evolved into [Strong Body] or something more advanced with more vitality. Did [Body Strong Spirit]...it did! I was immune to deleterious mystical effects under a certain threshold! Hopefully I was right about [Basic Strong Body] and [Basic Strong Spirit] would do the same thing. I signalled to Jee-Han that I was ready to go, but he indicated for me to wait. He was studying me closely.

"How are you keeping so many spells going at once?"

"What do you mean? I don't think I've been using very many. It just takes concentration."

"I saw you use some kind of fire spell earlier at the same time as you were trapping ogres in those [Force Wall]s of yours. I thought it was some sort of skill."

"If it is I haven't been prompted for it yet. Maybe we should try before we continue? If it works to reduce the amount of concentration required it would be beyond useful!"

"Alright. So how do we do this, then? I guess...two active powers at once like you were doing earlier, but try to concentrate specifically on splitting our attention?" He speculated.

"Sounds good to me. I'll try the [Force Wall] and [Pyrokinesis] abilities you saw me using earlier. Why don't you try using [Holy] and [Mana Shield]?" So decided, we tried it. And it was good.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Multi-Focus!]

We looked at each-other wide-eyed.

"You realize we have to abuse the fuck out of this, right?"

"We wouldn't be Gamers if we didn't!"


	13. Chapter 13

Several hours of grinding, seven levels, and a few boss trolls later, we stopped again. Since we only had about an hour left in the Cheon Bu training area before Jee-Han had to leave and I wanted to party grind a bit more, I mentally called out for Washu. Time froze.

"_Yes?_" She asked in my head.

"_What happens if I create a time-dilated Instant Dungeon inside another time-dilated Instant Dungeon?_" I queried mentally. There was a long moment of silence before I got an annoyed sounding reply.

[By coming up with a good plan, you increased your wisdom!]

"_After looking over the rules and what we've established between us, it would give you even more time by multiplying the time dilation effects together. I don't like it, though. What do you want in exchange for me capping that? You'll still be able to nest IDs but the dilation would only be the maximum you could achieve in one ID._"

I blinked in surprise. I'd expected her to say I'd get tossed into the void or something. Or that I'd just piss off Gaia.

[Using good reasoning to come to a likely conclusion increased your intelligence!]

"_Um….what are you offering?_"

"_Considering how ridiculous you stacking time-dilation could get, I'm going to have to say quite a bit. You could have bought yourself unlimited training time, which would have been good for power but terrible for your mental health and the experiment overall. It would have also been extremely boring for me,_" she replied.

"_Ok. Since what I would have gotten would be more loot and more experience, can you give me an experience boost whenever I'm in an Instant Dungeon for the rest of the Jump? And maybe an increased learning speed outside of Instant Dungeons?_"

"_I like that you're willing to negotiate on this, so how about I give you the experience boost for the remainder of the jump regardless? The amount of time you spend in Instant Dungeons before you leave isn't capped, and you can theoretically get literally time-stopped IDs if you practice enough anyway. I just don't want you loop-holing this and getting it without working for it. I can also increase your learning speed, but I'll do it by maxing out your intelligence for your current level as if you'd raised it by studying._"

"_Considering I'm really studying for knowledge on how to create and refine my skills, that sounds great. I know I get intelligence from studying, but the rate is really slow. If you boost it up to the maximum I'd get from studying for this level I'll keep the benefit outside the jump __**and**__ be able to do my studying faster to better effect. I accept._"

"_Excellent. From now on you cannot multiply or add time dilation together using Instant Dungeons, but will instead take the maximum time dilation and run with that. In exchange your intelligence goes up to 150. If you haven't been paying attention that should tell you the maximum you can train any stat above what you've gained in other ways is three times your total level._"

Time restarted, and my head really hurt for a moment, then I got a lot of pop-ups.

[Since you raised your intelligence past one-hundred, you've gained a random ability related to your brain functions.]  
[New skill: Basic Willpower created!]  
[By raising your intelligence to 100, you've gained the skill: Medium Mana Capacity!]  
[By raising your intelligence to 100, you've gain the skill: Mana Regeneration!]  
[By raising your intelligence to 150, you've gained the skill: Advanced Magic!]  
[Advanced Magic has combined with Basic Mana Manipulation to form Basic Mana Mastery!]  
[Basic Mana Mastery has combined with Basic Ki Mastery to form Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)!]  
[Mystical Energy (Efficiency)'s name now indicates it overlaps another skill, would you like to change it?]

I went through the descriptions of [Basic Willpower], [Medium Mana Capacity], [Mana Regeneration], and [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] and had to bite my cheek not to start laughing like a madman. My MP regeneration was now so high I could use flight and a few other skills at the same time without losing any MP at all! Hell, even the cost of my skills was reduced by [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)]! All of my basic stats now received passive bonuses, and I could enhance those and my senses further at the cost of additional MP. [Basic Speedster] was impressive as hell, but with [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] added on top of it I could boost myself to levels I hadn't thought I'd see in years. That reminded me...I hadn't practiced [Mystical Energy (Efficiency)] in a while. I resolved to do so and changed the name to [Mystical Energy (Concealment)].

"Jee-Han? For this last hour or however long you've got left I'm going for melee. I just got a bunch of things I need to grind."

"Alright. Just fall back if you need to heal, and I'll start binding things."

"Let's do this!"

I engaged active concentration on [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] to buff my stats, then stacked on [Mystical Energy (Concealment)]. That took a little adjusting since I'd discovered more forms of energy since I'd first discovered it, but now even my leaking holy and soul energies were being kept inside. My gloves glinted, the silver and cold-iron studs standing out prominently when I bunched my hands into fists before I launched myself at an ogre in the distance. The following hour was both painful and productive, gaining me another level and advancing my [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)], [Mystical Energy (Concealment)], [Physical Endurance], and [Weapon Mastery (Unarmed)] significantly. [Multi-Focus] gained a lot of experience and was just short of reaching level two, so I'd work on that after Jee-Han left.

With our time coming to a close I thanked Jee-Han profusely for working with me and asked if he'd be back the next day. When he said he'd be spending at least three normal hours here daily since he knew he didn't have to avoid me anymore I was thrilled. I still needed to develop and practice skills for mind magic, try summoning and teleporting other people, and make sure I knew how to anchor someone else's soul in place like I had mine, all of which required a partner.

"Oh! I almost forgot to ask you: Jee-Han, I was going to try and start freeing some of the slaves from the Abyss Auction but the Hwan house won't get involved with buying them. Do you know anyone who could help with that? I'm also looking for tutoring and allies. Anyone I can help with healing or warding to get them ready for what's coming would be great, and anyone I can convince to specifically prepare would be even better."

Jee-Han looked at me oddly, then took a thinking pose. I wasn't sure if he was hamming it up or if he normally did that, but I chuckled anyway. The answering smile on Jee-Han's face didn't clarify his motivation but did put me in a better mood.

"I can buy slaves if I have to, but I just remembered I got the contact information for a witch and a druid/warrior that owe me a favor. I'll contact them about both the tutoring and the slave thing if you promise to keep me involved. I trust you a little, but I want to make sure those people are freed instead of being re-sold or forced to do horrible things," Jee-Han told me with a very serious look.

"Also, I think I heard something about some Yunhonmoon members needing healing after a fight with the Hwan. If you offer to heal them it'll help relations between the two and provide more able fighters. I'd help, but that might make is less useful for mending fences. There's a girl in my class I can talk to about that and get back to you on Tuesday. Before I forget: you really need to tell me as much about this threat as possible. You were vague about it earlier and I'm always up for gaining levels, but I'll need to know specifics."

Face, meet palm.

"I'm sorry Jee-Han! I meant to give you details! I don't understand everything, but I'll give you the gist of what I know: the Abyss Auction or one of their major backers here in Korea started killing and abducting people in the Japanese Abyss a while back, and there's supposed to be almost none of them left. They went into hiding and are trying to use...thought power? I think it was called thought power. They're trying to use thought power to conjure a bunch of gods or something and attack the Korean Abyss. They'll start with the Auction and whoever their backers are, but that won't satisfy them. Letting everyone know what's coming might trigger them to attack early if they hear we know, so please only share this with people you trust. I don't know how much time they need to start for sure, but I'm hoping we have a year. Might be more, might be less."

Jee-Han's face grew steadily darker as I explained, and his fists clenched. There was rage and sorrow there, but also determination like I'd never seen before.

"I'm not sure we should save anyone who'd do something like that, but if they come after the rest of the Abyss we'll need to be ready to stop them. How sure are you of this information?"

"I could swear on any god or goddess you care to name that I believe it to be completely true. The source...well, it's very reliable. More consistently right than even the Gamer UI so far, which has also given me a quest to prepare for their arrival. In fact...we're still in a party. You might be able to access the quest, or at least see it on my UI!"

I pulled up the quest screen, and sure enough Jee-Han could see it. He raised an eyebrow when he read the title ("Help Prepare the Abyss for Anime Attack!"), then read through the quest description. It included the roughly the same text as the drawback, so he actually learned a lot more than I'd told him. If anything he looked even more grim, and I saw a prompt for the same quest appear in front of him. He immediately accepted, then looked me in the eyes.

"Keep me in your party and use voice chat to get ahold of me if you need anything. If that doesn't work for any reason, here's my cell number. I'll contact the Witch of Slaughter, work on getting the Cheon Bu and by extension Chunbamoon ready, then start working on others in the area. If it's possible we can get her to tutor us or give us any information on thought power we can't afford to pass it up."

"Thank you, Han Jee-Han. I wasn't sure I could do this alone even with such a broken power, so your help is appreciated. I don't want this spilling out beyond the people that started the fight in the first place, or even worse leaving the Abyss and killing people with no powers to defend themselves."

He nodded tightly and left, probably to talk to the heir of the Cheon Bu clan. Being able to show people the actual quest and his significant rapport with them would help immensely. I looked around the training area with determination, and decided that ten-to-one time dilation wasn't enough. I could already produce Instant Dungeons of my own with ten-to-one, so I'd grind it higher. I set out to do just that, leaving [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] and [Mystical Energy (Concealment)] active as I continued to create and tear down instant dungeons. I wondered briefly if the Cheon Bu would notice that I never left their training area anymore except for errands and to talk to the Hwans?

It took days of subjective time to reach a time-dilation of one-hundred to one, after which I stopped because the skill was gaining experience so slowly I thought I might lose my mind before it went up another level. My enchanted watch indicated it had only been a few hours thanks to my stepping into the higher-level Instant Dungeons to practice until I got better time-dilation, then destroying those IDs and creating new ones with the higher level. As I'd agreed with Washu the dilation didn't stack or multiply, but instead used the highest dilation level of whatever convoluted chain of Illusion Barriers I was in. I was now certain that I didn't need to eat because of Gamer's Body [1], and took full advantage of it. I'd forgotten to conjure myself some water and found I wasn't thirsty either, so I added not needing to drink to my mental list of abilities.

Between not needing to eat, drink, sleep, or wash I pushed myself even harder. My watch was moving at such a slow pace I could barely detect the second hand moving with my greatly enhanced senses. Keeping [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] and [Mystical Energy (Concealment)] up had gained me several levels in [Multi-Focus], so I had started to add other abilities. First was [Mystical Energy (Gather)] to empty the area of ambient energy. Since that left me with nothing left to gather according to my passive [Mystical Energy (Sense)] I started playing around with it to absorb the heat from the air, which added [Cryokinesis] and [Cold Affinity] to my skills. [Cryokinesis] reacted with the other elements already folded into [Telekinesis] to form [Elemental Bending].

[Elemental Bending] was an active skill that would require concentration, so I started using it as the third thing I was doing. When I acquired the ability to focus on four things at once without strain I added [Mystical Energy (Sense)] as an active skill, which greatly expanded the range of my extra sense and the clarity of the passive energy sight it granted. With [Elemental Bending] and the active buff form of [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] I actually started to see my mana drop from full when I did anything extreme with [Elemental Bending]. When I filled the entire Instant Dungeon with lightning and fire except for a small space around me until I could no longer breathe it nearly emptied my mana pool, but that meant I could fill an area about twice the size of a football stadium with what was effectively plasma for a few seconds.

I invoked [Mystical Energy (Gather)] to cool the place down and remove the remaining electrical charge from the air, then broke the Instant Dungeon I'd been training in. I saw the grassy landscape filled with ogres that was the Cheon Bu training area for a moment before I created a Dungeon to continue my studies in ridiculously compressed time. It wouldn't be helpful to use all the air and keep having to drop out of the best time compression I could manage, so gathered my mana and reserved a full half of it for use with [Mystical Energy Generator]. I hadn't done this since I had only a little over one hundred mana, and I had no idea that I'd actually **feel** the pressure of my mana attempting to overflow, hitting my [Mystical Energy (Concealment)] skill, and basically pressurizing before it hit the rest of my being.

"Power overwhelming," I muttered in homage to Starcraft as I pumped more and more MP into reinforcing my body. It still wasn't enough, and I was actually starting to lose HP so I picked up [Holy] as an active technique and dropped [Elemental Bending]. The whirlwind around me stilled and the chunks of compressed earth and spheres of conjured water dropped to the ground. My health stabilized, but there was still too much mana. Concentrating on bringing up another ability I started running [Divination], trying to see the inside of my warehouse after picking a location at random. A long series of failure messages appeared in front of me as my [Divination] skill rose. It still wasn't enough, and my limbs were starting to go sort of...numb and tingly. I looked at my hands and was shocked to see them glowing with energy, but also becoming translucent!

My health wasn't going down, and I hadn't received notifications of any status effects. I checked the UI to make sure, but there wasn't anything wrong with me aside from insanely high stats all-around because of my active effects. I closed the window and checked my feet, which were also fading almost up to the knee. I walked a few steps forward to ensure I still could, but it felt more like when I was using [Fly] than actually walking. Something clicked in my head.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Anti-Gravity!]  
[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Mystical Energy (Body)!]

A distant part of me noted the [Divination] failure messages had stopped and I could see from both my perspective and from a position of total darkness and silence, but I dropped [Divination] and pushed the remaining energy into my body with a roar and a fierce grin, "**POWER OVERWHELMING!**"

My consciousness spread across the entire Instant Dungeon, and I was able to **feel** everything within it. With the barest thought I could direct my attention anywhere in the area, but at the same time I couldn't help but sense everything at once. The earth beneath me and the air around me were but parts of the whole. The water I'd conjured earlier was a part of me, as was the grass and the light and the heat and the faint electrical charge of the room. I had no voice, nor did I need one. I turned my mind to shrinking my presence, and my awareness of the world narrowed. What could be done with this? Ah. That might work.

_**HOLY**_

My perspective shrank and shifted once again until I was around the height of my previous body. A body and limbs of silvery-pearlescent light condensed from the air, and I examined my new form. It wasn't quite a Starcraft archon. Those were beings of flesh that had nearly transcended such limitations by converting themselves into maelstroms of psychic power. This was something else altogether.

_**FIRE**_

My new body went from a blinding bastion of holy energy to an equally blinding inferno. A thought changed it to a swirling maelstrom of air, and another pulled earth from beneath me so I resembled a golem. This form was harder to hold, so I tried pure energy again and became a ball of lightning. To complete the set the lightning faded and the water I'd conjured earlier, now soaked into the soil itself, rose up to form another sphere. Finding there wasn't enough water to fashion a humanoid body, I ripped the rest from the environment. The grass crumbled, the air parched, and the soil cracked. It didn't matter. This place was impermanent, and I had a humanoid elemental form. Now, how was I to return to what I was? [Mystical Energy (Body)] might be useful in the future, but I needed to be relatively human to continue my mission of preparing the Abyss to face the consequences of Anime Attack.

If I could have frowned I would have, but I currently lacked the anatomy to do so. Or any anatomy at all, really. That was the problem. My body hadn't disintegrated when I'd...ascended? Transformed? My body hadn't disintegrated when I'd activated [Mystical Energy (Body)], it had faded away. There hadn't been a tremendous influx of energy like I'd expect if the whole thing was actually transformed into energy. That would have likely destroyed the Illusion Barrier and most of the Korean peninsula. So where was it? There was a connection leading...somewhere. Two of them really, but one felt more accessible. It didn't feel like any direction I'd ever been able to discern before, but it was there. I tugged on the closer one, and the watery form I held fell away as my consciousness shrank back into a smaller area. Tugging at the connection a little harder caused my perception to warp again until it felt like I had sensory organs, but my body was still translucent and glowing. That wouldn't do.

I carefully tucked the excess energy away with [Mystical Energy (Concealment)], and the result made me look like a ghost. One final tug restored complete feeling to my body, causing my mana to start overflowing again and gravity to reassert itself. I idly reset my active skills to [Flight], [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)], [Mystical Energy (Sense)], and a touch of [Mystical Energy (Gather)] to clear the area of errant motes of power. I hadn't left much useful energy sitting around, just some electrical charge to the air. I left the temperature where it was and dropped [Mystical Energy (Gather)] for [Mystical Energy Concealment] then sat down in mid-air. At the rate time was flowing for me compared to the outside world I had several months before Jee-Han returned to the Cheon Bu training area, and I could just barely sense outside the Instant Dungeon with my [Mystical Energy (Sense)] the way it was going. By the time he returned I shouldn't have any trouble picking up his presence. I entered a meditative state. I could manage my mana generation and my active skills like this, so long as I didn't exceed the limit of [Multi-Focus], which should also level up.

[By doing something repeatedly, you've created a new skill: Basic Meditation!]  
[With long practice, Basic Meditation has become Meditation!]  
[Through constant meditation you've increased your wisdom!]

Jee-Han's return to the Cheon Bu training area was obvious. His power stood out like a road flare in a lightless cave. I stood, then checked the levels on the skills I'd been grinding via [Meditation], which was itself level twenty six. [Flight] was level ninety-seven, and now cost only sixteen MP per second. It looked like the minimum was ten per second, but I wasn't sure what would happen if the skill evolved into a new one at level one-hundred. My maximum speed was beyond respectable at several hundred times the speed of sound, but limited by my total MP.

[Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] had actually evolved into [Mystical Energy Mastery], and was now providing the same bonus to my special defense as it did to my special attack. That meant whatever my basic defenses were against magic, ki, soul energy, and anything else I was familiar with would be multiplied several times over.

[Mystical Energy Concealment] had evolved into [Mystical Energy Concealment and Illusion], which meant that I now trapped all of the energy that would otherwise leak from my body and could provide an illusory aura to replace the one I would have had without the skill. At present I could look like anything from empty space to a moderately powerful ki-user, which meant I could actually hide the universal energy that made the Gamer so unique. It hadn't occurred to me until my months-long-meditation, but Hwan Sung-Gon might already know I had the same or at least a similar power as Han Jee-Han. It really was dependent on how long he'd spent around Jee-Han and whether he was able to sense that particular type of energy in addition to the mana the boy radiated.

[Mystical Energy (Sense)] hadn't evolved but had gotten progressively more ridiculous. I could now sense points of energy within the two illusion barriers to such a degree I could make out the discolored skin on the faces of the various wandering ogres. Outside of the two barriers I could all of Seoul and few of the surrounding cities. The Abyss was more prevalent than I thought, and some of their little mana extraction facilities were actually inside the city. There was also a bizarre collective consciousness wandering around that seemed to be focused on one building in particular but had bodies across the entirety of what I could sense. They were heavily involved two of the mana extraction facilities I could sense. The large number of wounded enclosed in another illusion barrier might be the Yuhonmoon Jee-Han had suggested I heal, but sensing through two barriers over a large distance into a third made it difficult to get more detail than "wounded humans with abundance of ki and soul energy."

With the spare threads of concentration I'd built up from using [Multi-Focus] I'd started alternating between conjuring air and blasting it away with [Elemental Bending (Electricity)], then done both at the same time when I acquired another thread. My sixth and final free thread of concentration had gone toward adding fire to the mix, which had given me quite a bit of experience with [Elemental Bending (Fire)]. Both bending skills had contributed to [Fire Affinity] and my newly gained [Lightning Affinity]. Both had acquired MP discounts when I passed level twenty-five in them, and [Fire Affinity] was close to granting me full immunity at level fifty while I was only reducing damage from lighting by about two-thirds.

I dropped my Instant Dungeon and moved to meet my fellow Gamer.

"Han Jee-Han! It feels like it's been months," I addressed him as I approached. He looked at me curiously, then muttered [Observe] and paled. Oh! [Mystical Energy Mastery] was still buffing all my stats, and my intelligence had gone up to 150 before that. Also I had no aura at the moment, which might produce some interesting results. I'd have to check in a mirror or something later.

"You've gotten stronger," he said. His voice only shook a little, which I thought was great. He needed to be more accustomed to seeing bizarrely high stats and other worrying information. I clapped him on the shoulder and guided him over to the spot I'd been using to create my Instant Dungeons, then promptly dropped us into an empty one at one-hundred-to-one time dilation. Another muttered [Observe], and I could see the whites of his eyes as he gazed around in wonder.

"Yes, ridiculous time compression and meditating on improving your stat buffs will do that. Now, what have you got for me?" He took a moment to gather his thoughts, then replied.

"Good news and bad. The good news is that the Cheon Bu clan is behind us, and even let me join. The Witch of Carnage and her partner are also coming from Europe to train us for as long as we pay them, and the Yunhonmoon will happily listen to anything we want to say if we can heal even one of their injured. The bad news is that someone released a bunch of manuals on how to refine black souls on the Abyss Auction website, so there were a couple of attacks on the Hwan compound. Also: there's something weird going on with my Instant Dungeons. I created one earlier and found DLC content. Have you ever seen DLC content?" Jee-Han asked.

"No, but I think I know what it is. We're going to need to practice mind magic and get the Yunhonmoon up and about as quickly as possible. We'll use my Instant Dungeons so you don't have to waste time grinding yours up to this level of time compression, if that's alright with you?"

"Yeah, sure! I'll want to get it this good myself eventually, but that can probably wait until after the whole attack thing. I've got the address of the Yunhonmoon compound." He replied, enthusiastic about having so much time to grind.

"Then let's get to it. Mind magic first?" I asked.

"Sure. What am I looking for exactly?"

"Well, what we really need is a defense against fooling the senses and one against reading or altering our thoughts. To get that and practice it, I think we need skills that fool the senses and read or alter thoughts. I'll show you my basic [Illusion] technique so you can work on it while I try and think of a way to manage directly altering the senses instead of just shaping light."

A little over a month of subjective time later we both stumbled out of the Instant Dungeon to head for Yunhonmoon. In that time we'd both become amazingly good at [Illusion], [True Sight], and sort of okay at [Mind Magic]. Gamer's Mind apparently made us immune to anything external altering our minds (I'd forgotten), but didn't block out mind-reading or people trying to go through our memories. The walk from Cheon Bu territory to the high rise the at the heart of Yunhonmoon territory wasn't terribly long, and I had fun telepathically exchanging jokes and gamer stories with Jee-Han. We got into talking about movies near the end, and he gave me the amazing idea to combine my [Elemental Bending] to create light-saber-like blades from plasma. If the sound was wrong I could add a little bit of [Illusion] when I was feeling funny. That of course led me to the idea of lasers and plasma cutters. I was pretty sure a flamethrower was less powerful than a plasma cutter, and combining lightning and fire produced plasma. The doorman was not reassured when he was informed the man with the demented grin was in fact the healer they'd been told about.

We left the building three hours later. Jee-Han and I had both gained a few levels for [Holy] and learned [Remove Curse] after he figured out a way to just rip the damn things out where they could be attacked directly. He'd gone on to explain the situation as best he could to a red-headed girl who seemed way too serious even before hearing about the threat, and she promised him that the clan would prepare for an external threat but keep it between themselves and their allies. I really wished he'd made her promise to keep it in the clan. That was going to come back to bite us.

I tripped on a rock and face-planted on the sidewalk, despite my superhuman senses and dexterity.

[Physical Endurance has gained a level!]

Well, at least I still got experience for that even when [Basic Strong Body] made the damage meaningless. This Gamer thing was even more broken then I thought.


	14. Chapter 14

After learning that I could level up [Basic Strong Body] and [Physical Endurance] at the same time, I'd entered a time-dilated illusion barrier and conjured up a boulder. A bunch of chains, a few logs, and a lot of finagling later I had the basic setup to teach myself the Ranma ½ Breaking Point technique. I was just strapping myself into the harness that would keep me stationary while the boulder slammed into me when Washu showed up.

"You know you're slowly driving yourself insane, right?" She asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm what?"

"You. Are. Going. Insane. You spend months at a time doing nothing but training, not even eating or sleeping. I know it's a great way to get more powerful and I won't force you to stop, but I want you to consider a few things."

I nodded, indicating I I would listen to what she had to say. Washu hadn't given me any bad advice yet that I was aware of, and she was the catalyst for my powers. I wasn't really sure how becoming strong enough to fight the enemies she'd insisted on adding was insane, though.

"Listen, take a step back. Examine your own thoughts. Gamer's Mind doesn't protect you from changes that come from within, only external influences. You were an introvert when you started the Jump-Chain, but you're getting to the point where you consciously avoid people to keep from forming connections. You cut off your mother a while back, which was reasonable but cold. You know you won't be seeing her again after the Jump, which is the same reasoning you're using for keeping everyone else away. Do you follow me so far?"

I nodded guiltily. I still wasn't sure why I wasn't getting the emotional context from the memories of backgrounds that weren't drop-in, but Washu's assessment of my mental health might be a clue. She was watching my face carefully, and probably reading my thoughts again as well. Even with [Mind Magic] I really doubted I'd ever be able to detect when she was doing it, let alone stop it.

"You're starting to see the problem, but you haven't gotten the whole picture yet. Let me paint a mental picture for you, shall I? You entered the Pokémon jump so conflicted that you partially repressed your memories of your previous life and fully repressed the emotional context of the memories you gained from your background **by using the perk that was supposed to help you remember things**! Perfect memory showed you the way for the first jump, and you somehow did it again here when you absorbed your background knowledge. Back to Pokémon, you messed with a few people but never made any friends even in the Saffron Gym. I didn't help when I pulled the whole montage prank, so that's partially my fault. Maybe with additional time you would have gotten better. The only living thing you consciously made an effort to bond with was Ember, and then you accidentally ended the world as you knew it by spilling too much information."

My heart sank the more she spoke, but I continued to listen. I knew now that I needed to hear this, not just because it was Washu but because it was becoming apparent I'd done some things seriously wrong even if I hadn't realized it at the time. Maybe this was part of why it took me so long to realize that the people around me were real? The guilt I felt for killing the people who came after me was pitifully weak, too. I didn't think the me from before the Jump-Chain would like the new me very much.

"Exactly!" Washu exclaimed. "Although the killing thing is partly because of Gamer's mind, and you're expected to change over time, your personality has gone through a radical shift. You've gone from introverted to avoiding contact with other people like it's a disease! You haven't seen or spoken to Ember since you got here! The only person you consider yourself to be remotely friends with is Jee-Han, and that's because he's going through something similar! That stretch in the Instant Dungeon where you figured out [Mystical Energy (Body)] shifted your perspective too, but I'm not sure yet whether that's good or bad. I've been trying very hard not to look too far into your future because if you're ever going to be a god of any sort you need to keep your free will. That said, though? In addition to your increasingly worrying social failures, you're also not **living**! The meditation was a good start to recovery since it'll help you a little, but you need to actually do things besides grind! You're losing your creativity, your sense of humor, and your attachment to the world in a ridiculous quest to end every threat before it can hurt anybody else!"

She was shouting by the end, and I was getting confused. Wasn't one of my goals to help people? To protect them? Becoming stronger was the only way to achieve that goal. Mental degradation would pose a problem, but I'd never been good at socialization anyway. Only my wife, coworkers, and family members ever got more than a few words from me a year unless someone prompted me. Usually my wife. Was that part of the problem? I'd been relying on her to keep me from being a shut in, hadn't I? I'd actually told her a few times that without her influence I'd probably have had a lot more problems. Washu was smiling encouragingly at me now, and I sagged in the harness.

"Ok, you've convinced me I need to be more social at least. What about Anime Attack, though? I don't want people to suffer, and I need to exploit the time-dilation effect as much as possible if I'm going to have a chance at beating them by the numbers. I've got all the major weaknesses at least partially covered now, but I need to grind those skills to near perfection in order to really stand a chance," I explained sadly. Washu's look reminded me of someone explaining something to a very dim child.

"Wren, you aren't meant to win by the numbers. Jee-Han faced enemies more than ten times his level pretty regularly in the main timeline, and you can too. I told you to be creative, and you need to do that. You also need to be social. Finally, you need to think through your plans before you grind. This," she gestured at the breaking point setup, "is something you can get in a later Jump if you really want to. It's one of your favorite series, so I know you're going to visit. Step back and think: what are anime characters in general weak to, and what can you do to exploit that? Also: what are you forgetting? You've already lost track of a few plans."

I actually felt my mind shift directions, and my head tilted to one side as I thought. Washu conjured a floating chair and sat patiently, waiting for me to come to my own conclusions. I hadn't freed any slaves yet, despite now having a way to do so. I could set up a generator or enchantment that did the same thing in my empty warehouse for power, and a system to conjure water and destroy waste was now well within my capabilities. It was too bad it was an empty copy of the original or I could have...copy? Something to look into. There was also the lightsaber idea I had earlier when talking to Jee-Han. That probably wasn't everything I'd forgotten, but they were things I needed to actually start on.

Next was weaknesses. What were anime characters weak to? I knew a lot of them were vulnerable to magic, which was one of the reasons I'd been building as a wizard. Wizards who had time to prepare were almost universally deadly, but I didn't have enough information to tailor attacks to specific enemies or prepare ambush points...did I? I knew the target of the attack would be the Korean Abyss in general, and would start with the Abyss Auction since Washu had given that bit of information away during our last discussion. If I was going to start buying slaves and I picked them up myself, I'd get a few locations to set potential ambushes. I didn't think they'd automatically deliver slaves in the same way they did my books (stupid little flying saucer drones!), but it was possible they'd send them out alone with orders or send them with an escort before they let me pick them up.

Even if they somehow tried to prevent the slaves themselves from divulging their point of origin, with the right preparation I could track where they came from even if they were teleported. I had a way to get locations for the first attacks that would take place, and I had knew that the Hwan, Cheon Bu, and Yunhonmoon would all be attacked at some point as well. I hadn't heard anything of the Black Rock clan this time around, but I hadn't exactly been paying attention. Jee-Han and the Witch of Slaughter might have wiped them out when they tried to kill her, but hadn't that been after she was hired by Sung-Gon to protect Sung-Ah in the original timeline? I'd have to ask him if that had happened here. If the Black Rock was still around they would be a target too, and one I didn't mind looting then trapping so thoroughly as to reduce it to ash if anything I didn't like happened there.

If I looted the place they would probably move out though, or at least inspect their security measures. With [Mystical Energy Void], [Illusion], and [Stealth] I shouldn't have any trouble getting in, so I could trigger the trap wards themselves to transport material goods to a preselected location just before everything inside was destroyed. I could probably make it a tiny fraction of a second delay too, so it wouldn't be enough to alert the attackers they needed to get out. I'd need to figure out a way to hide the wards themselves, but leaving them deactivated except for the trigger mechanism would help. Now...how was I going to deal with anyone that didn't get caught in the ambush? They'd have to fight the rest of the Abyss, so I really didn't have to stop the whole thing by myself. In fact, the Auction's backers basically **deserved** what was coming.

Washu's smile had gone from encouraging to delighted, I noted out of the corner of my eye. I wasn't the only one upset at them, then. What would anime characters be weak too, though? Magic wasn't going to take care of all of them. Uchiha Madara in particular would probably be too fast and have such varied powers that attempting to take him with magic just wouldn't work unless he was unaware...wait. There were ways to catch people unaware that kept the attacker well outside of conventional detection range, let alone immediate retaliation range. The Abyss used one of them regularly: guns. I was a wizard, and I didn't have a ranged weapon other than magic. Not only that, I was a budding enchanter with enough power to make things well above my level work without having to actually learn the process. Even if the enchantments eventually broke down or I had to redo them, I could make a sniper rifle and a set of handguns many times more dangerous than they were off the shelf.

I'd always disliked guns in my first life, but mostly because I felt people were too irresponsible with them. I was American, and the idea of them being a part of life was embedded in the culture enough that even the most idealistic citizens admitted they probably wouldn't ever go away completely. While many anime characters were ridiculously physically tough, I knew a lot of them would have trouble with a sniper round to the face. And enchanted sniper round flying a hundred or more times faster than would be possible without magic would make the range of enemies I could tackle with such a weapon much broader. Washu's grin was feral now, and I was only mildly surprised to find that my expression mirrored hers.

I was no longer running on auto in a straight line, and I had new goals with new ideas to help me achieve them. I had forgotten several of the core tenants of my first life: family first, you are important to your family so take care of yourself as well, and big problems can be made solvable by reducing them into smaller steps. There were others I was sure, but those were what came to mind. I needed to see Hwan about the guns his people used and getting some of my own, then I needed instruction and practice. Enchanting could be done in time-dilation as long as I had company. The slaves could be handled concurrently with other projects with the exceptions of tracking down the holding areas and trapping them, and then I was getting myself a damn laser sword. Or a plasma sword, which sounded even better. If I added a little bit of [Force Wall] to it I could even block things and spar with them like real lightsabers!

Hwan was glad to see me again, as apparently he'd been expecting me back a few days ago. The Cheon Bu had been a little perturbed that I'd apparently spent nearly a week in their training area without stopping for a break, and told me not to come back for a few days at least. When I explained my idea of enchanting weaponry to Hwan he got a sadistic look on his face that indicated he very much approved of the idea, and took me directly to the armory. I was introduced to the quartermaster that managed the Hwan armory, who was instructed to give me access to the weapons I needed for training, then when he felt I was skilled enough not to shoot someone on accident to start giving me weapons to enchant.

The basic gun safety course only took a few hours, but the supervised practice ran considerably longer. I got messages indicating [Weapon Mastery] now included pistols and rifles days before I was deemed competent enough to use them in the field, and had actually gained a few levels in [Weapon Mastery] since then. I discovered this after I realized I'd left alerts for skill level ups off and went to check what was taking so long, only to find the skill had gotten better but I hadn't been notified. I turned the notices back on, slightly annoyed with myself.

When I got my first pistol to enchant I did as much as I could to it before I started getting messages indicating the weapon itself would break down if I added more magic. I started with a little [Conjuration] on several magazines to give the weapons they were loaded with infinite ammunition, then started altering the conjured bullets until I got something coated in a weak [Mystical Energy (Void)] field to help penetrate supernatural defenses. It wouldn't completely negate most defenses, but it would be a nasty shock to anyone that wasn't expecting it. The magazines started to pop messages that I couldn't enchant them anymore at that point, so I conjured a few force walls on the shooting range and had the guards start testing them while I moved on.

The chamber of the weapon itself was next, and I knew it would be complicated to do what I wanted: ideally the weapons should be completely silent, have no muzzle flash, and all the energy of the exploding powder should go into propelling the bullet faster rather than leaking into the frame of the weapon or producing aforementioned sound and flash. I also needed to see if I could add a [Mystical Energy Generator] to the housing, since I hadn't had room to do it to the magazines. The enchantments would eventually become useless if they lost power, and would dissipate shortly thereafter.

I tried [Force Wall]s to focus the force of the weapon discharge and [Mystical Energy (Gather)] to absorb the sound, light, and heat generated. The results weren't spectacular, so I tinkered a bit and ended up merging a little bit of [Reflect] and [Illusion] into the mix and ended up with a weapon that had three times the muzzle velocity of its unenchanted brother. I'd hoped for a little more, but couldn't think of a way to reliably improve the enchantment I already had further without overloading the damn thing with mana.

The barrel of the weapon was laced with a mixture of telekinesis and lightning to create a magnetic acceleration of both the muzzle velocity and the spin before the bullet left the weapon. I actually had to enchant a new pistol after the first one exploded from the force generated, but a little tweaking left me with something that didn't explode after firing 200 rounds and had a muzzle velocity almost twenty times that of the unenchanted weapon I was still using as a control. After seeing the first one explode on me the guards insisted I enchant some extra protective gear for them, so I made some full gloves and safety glasses as tough as I could, then did the same for the protective vests they all wore under their clothing. I could heal pretty much anything non-fatal by now, anyway.

With the latest upgrades being tested I went back to tinkering, and found a few extra bits I could attach smaller enchantments to. The outer case of the handle and trigger could hold a bit, as could the sites and the hammer of the weapon. The hammer I tied a very complex identification scheme to, which actually utilized a bit of soul magic to identify the one using the weapon. If someone who wasn't approved when I enchanted it picked the thing up, the hammer struck a tiny [Force Wall] instead of actually discharging the weapon. I was only barely able to get that working, but got a lot of encouragement from the security personnel since it had the potential to prevent a lot of accidents in addition to making sure the modified weapons weren't used against them.

The weapon sights I left alone, since I couldn't figure out a way to fit anything useful on them without overloading the material with mana. I was getting better at fine manipulation the more practice I got, but steel to resist my efforts a lot more than the leather I'd used for my gloves and boots. Most of the internals of my watch were actually one big crystal, which held enchantments rather well. Maybe I'd eventually add crystals to a gun, but for now I was fairly certain I was going to be fine with the base models. Customizing them would add time to the enchanting process, and I wanted a lot of these on the field when they were needed.

The handle casing and trigger mechanism proved to have a slightly higher capacity for enchantment than the rest of the weapon. I wasn't sure exactly why that was, but I wasn't going to complain. I'd intended to add [Holy] to the weapons to make them more effective against undead and such, but realized just before I started it would also make it significantly less effective against other targets. Instead I added the same kind of pseudo-indestructibility enchantment I'd added to my gloves and the guards' safety gear. I could make the enchantment affect the whole weapon if I anchored it there and tuned the other effects to work with it, which just left room for a summoning marker in case I needed it and it wasn't in my inventory. I'd leave that off the models I made for others, but I wanted mine to be special. With that in mind, I made a pair this way and had them engraved with my family crest.

The guards had tested the hell out of the weapons themselves and relayed to me that the recoil was unusually low. Also, the back wall of the firing range needed to be replaced. What would normally stand up to automatic weapons fire and sniper rounds was by now starting to look like dog-chewed cardboard. Hwon-Gon got someone in to repair it while I started working with the sniper rifles he'd provided me, and I set up a mixed [Force Wall] and [Telekinesis] enchantment over the newly repaired wall when the contractor left. [Telekinesis] would slow down anything near the wall, and [Force Wall] would stop anything that did get through from penetrating the new metal and concrete barrier.

I used the same enchantments I had on the pistols on my new sniper rifle, but was able to scale up all of the effects with more material to work with. I really needed to get better at putting more complex enchantments together in smaller amounts of material. I was sure I could overcome the limit entirely if I could figure out a way to tailor the damn things to direct the extra mana productively, but I had other priorities at the moment so I stuck with the piece-by-piece and brute force approach I'd been using. The sniper rifle was also tested, then engraved while I made a few more for the few people trained to use them. I'd really wanted to figure out a way to carry the silencing effect over to the projectiles themselves, but since the initial acceleration occurred before they left the silencing effect of the weapon it was still pretty damn quiet even in the enclosed range. I couldn't hear it even with my enhanced senses and without the earmuffs normally used there. The guards had a talk with me for testing without them on, but I was grinning the whole time.

When I wasn't making or testing guns I was working with Sung-Gon, Jee-Han, or the newly arrived Witch of Slaughter and her stoic companion. The witch, Lolikiano Mistream, had agreed to tutor me and Jee-Han and take care of the acquiring as many slaves as could be saved from the Abyss Auction for a ridiculous sum of money and any information I could provide on when the whole thing was going to happen. She also demanded to be the one to trap the places those slaves had been held, which she and Jee-Han had apparently discussed while I was busy and wouldn't budge on. Since that left more time for me to get other things ready I was perfectly alright with that, just confused for a bit. Her companion Horutipia Aholting, who insisted we call him Dylan instead of mispronouncing his full name, seemed to see some sort of potential in me. When we'd started they insisted Jee-Han and I show them what we could do so they'd know where to start teaching us, and it just got weirder from there.

When I demonstrated my [Holy] ability and [Elemental Bending] he decided he was going to teach me whether I liked it or not. There weren't many druids left, he said, and the teachings could not be allowed to fade. His initial lessons weren't really lessons so much as they were him shoving a pile of ancient books and scrolls at me and threatening that if I failed to read and memorize them or if they were damaged in any way he'd kill me. When I returned them to him along with hard-bound copies in modern typeset he didn't react other than to start quizzing me on what I'd learned. I kept a set for myself of course, and they'd go in my warehouse if I ever decided to clean out my inventory.

Under Dylan's tutelage I was able to significantly strengthen the cleansing aspect of my [Holy] magic and started to get the hang of growing plants more quickly using magic and ki. Unfortunately with all that was going on and his self-appointed job protecting the Witch of Slaughter, we didn't get much more time together after that and none of it was dedicated to teaching. I set about purchasing what I couldn't easily conjure for the Warehouse and enchanting what was needed for running water, electricity, and waste disposal.

It was enchanting the stuff for the warehouse that finally got me over the block I had on how much I could enchant any given block of material. At least, it started me on the right path. Porcelain was just as delicate to the way I was applying my magic as it was to a hammer, so I had to figure things out in order to get the toilets working. If I thought I had the time I'd have gone back and re-enchanted all the guns, but I had a few more things to do before that would be viable.

When I had the warehouse sorted I moved on to creating my most complex wards to date, which would generate their own Instant Dungeons to weaken the enemies of those that lived and worked in the warded locations. To those I added lightning and energy-draining triggers that would act on anyone entering the activated Instant Dungeon who didn't meet the specified parameters. I added myself to all the ward schemes of course, because I didn't want to be fried by my own magic. The Cheon Bu and Yunhonmoon properties were both over lay-lines, which I'd finally remembered to check for, allowing the wards to be significantly more powerful than if I'd used only my normal mana generation method.

Once everything was warded I started playing with Instant Dungeons again and developing my lightsaber technique. I had a few ideas for a special Instant Dungeon, and the lightsaber technique was finicky in that it kept trying to burn my hand off. I eventually managed to get a bright beam of plasma about a meter long floating above my fist as if I was holding a sword, with a line of [Force Wall] running through it for solidity and an optional bead of plasma below my hand as well (because Ryouko's laser sword, that's why).

I sighed. Washu was right, I wasn't going to win this by the numbers. Even with all my preparations I had my doubts that I could kill one or more opponents over 150 levels higher than me. But...what if they weren't that strong? Anime Attack gave me a year until I faced opponents at godlike levels, so what happened if I triggered it early? Could it be triggered early? I had calls to make. If I was wrong more of the Abyss got time to prepare, but if I was right our opponents would be coming at us with incomplete plans and much lower power than they expected to gather.

I was playing with my new plasma sword technique outside the Hwan home when it happened. The entirety of my sensory range rippled with an energy I'd never noticed before, then most of it rapidly converged to a point several kilometers away. Some went in another direction, which meant there was probably going to be multiple areas threatened at once.

[Quest complete! Help Prepare the Abyss for Anime Attack!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[A new quest has been created: Survive the Anime Attack!]

I immediately sent a party invite Jee-Han, which was answered only a few seconds later. I turned on voice chat.

"It's starting," I told him. "I'm going to close the portal to my warehouse and alert the Hwans. If I disband the party can you invite me, Sung-Gon, Lolikiano, Dylan, and the rest of the big players then engage voice chat for coordination? I don't know everyone, and most of them don't know I've got the Gamer ability so it'll be less surprising coming from you. Also: can we give those two code names or something? I keep thinking of them as the Witch and her warrior druid guy."

"Can do. I felt something happen, but only got a direction from it. I think it might be down 63rd street."

"Right. Call me back when you've got the rest of the party set up. I'm headed to notify Sung-Gon."

"Will do."

I raced out of the room, then asked the first guard I could find to relay a message to Sung-Gon for me: "It's begun." The message would prompt him to put the guards on alert and prepare himself to flip the new property-wide wards on at the first sign of attack. A slight tremble in the ground beneath my feet indicated the fighting had already started somewhere, but depending on the power of the attack it could have been anywhere in Seoul. We were pretty centrally located, I thought as I left the Hwan home. A massive serpentine form I'd only ever seen in a PokéDex and a few pictures on the internet rose above the city-scape, and I cloaked myself in invisibility using [Illusion] before taking to the skies in that direction. It looked like it was close to where the primary convergence of what could only have been thought energy had happened, and the being itself radiated it.

Despite having lived in the universe for a decade and only ever catching two, my first thought when I saw a rampaging pokémon without an obvious trainer was to chuck a PokéBall at it. Lucky for me I had four empty Master Balls. I wasn't at all sure it would work, but it seemed worth a shot. I could hit it from long range by guiding the ball in with telekinesis, then retreat at ludicrous speed and start shooting it with my rifle if that didn't work. I absently accepted a party invitation and was subjected to a ton of radio chatter, which prompted me to mentally mute everyone except Jee-Han.

"Jee-Han, I'm in pursuit of the giant flying thing. Do we have any information yet?"

"Wren? Yeah. Black Rock has apparently already been attacked, and Witch and Druid are fighting a bunch of anime characters. The ward designs you and Witch discussed worked, so the compound is essentially empty and I'd imagine your warehouse just got a huge pile of junk delivered to it. Oh! One of the Yunhonmoon sentries just spotted a group of identical blonde kids entering the wards and getting fried. Apparently they're wearing bright orange, and should be shot just for that."

I grinned at the sentiment, sure that the memetic Naruto clones were just as poorly dressed as they were in the anime. "Do they have scrolls on their backs?" I queried. Several seconds passed before I Jee-Han replied.

"No, no scrolls. They don't seem very competent either, but they just keep coming and they're really fast. When they die they just go up in smoke."

"That's good. I was afraid they'd managed to gather enough energy to make all of the attackers at the height of their powers despite it being several months early, but it looks like they found out we knew about the attack and tried to set it off before we could prepare defenses. Let people know the orange-wearing idiot is creative and sneaky, but has probably never heard of a gun."

"Can do. I've got some idiot with a rose whip and another one trying to fire ki at me with a finger gun, so I'm going to have to cut this short."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me. Those two sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place them. Giratina, if that really was the legendary pokémon, was in range. I grabbed a Master Ball from my inventory and flicked it at the giant pain-in-the-ass with telekinesis. It disappeared into the ball, which I caught with a wide grin and guided back to my hand. Washu must have been watching, because there was a howl of feminine laughter in my head. I'd deal with it later.

"You can't keep that, but it'll make a good bargaining chip!" She warned me, and I couldn't help but smile a little.

Flicking the now-potentially-occupied pokéball back into my inventory, I scanned around below me. There was the familiar figure of early-series Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z glaring up at me, so I faded back into invisibility and moved higher and a bit to the left. His gaze didn't follow me, which made me exceptionally thankful for [Mystical Energy (Concealment)]. The ridiculous haired and armored figure turned back to say something to his colleagues, a pair of men in armored robes of some sort and a man in a long white trench coat. All three had swords, which made me grateful I'd brought guns. One of the armored men turned to look in my direction as I raised the sniper rifle, and I saw his eyes start to bleed red as I pulled the trigger.

The man's head exploded before his stupid cheater eyes of cheating even finished activating, and the crater the round formed when it hit the ground underneath him knocked the other armored figure and Vegeta off their feet. The man in the trench coat maintained his footing and bolted for cover, while Vegeta rose into the air screaming for me to come and face him like a man. I flew around a bit to get a better shot, waiting for him to still for just a moment. When he did, a bullet slammed into his torso hard enough to knock him out of the air and shatter most of his armor. I hadn't anticipated the stuff would be that strong, but at least the boastful asshole was bleeding. A massive tree burst from the ground near the group's initial meeting place, and a salvo of sharpened metal swept through my location from the building next to me.

Madara, his left eye ruined, glared at me from his position atop the highrise and flashed through hand-seals faster than I thought possible. That wasn't good. Something slammed into the barrier of Gamer's Mind when I met his gaze, probably an illusion or mind control technique. The next moment there was a dragon of black fire approaching fast, and I dodged right into a strike from a tree branch the size of a small vehicle. It knocked the wind out of me and took a few of my hit points, but not much more. Deciding I needed a little distance, I flew straight up fast enough to make my vision blur, just barely dodging a spectral sword wielded by an equally spectral blue giant with a Madara-shaped center.

Vegeta came next, ki blasts destroying the branch I'd been hit by and everything in the general vicinity, including a building. I did my best to drown out the screaming from below, resolved to end this as quickly as possible in order to minimize the loss of life, and exchanged my sniper rifle for a single pistol. Raising my right hand into the air more for dramatic effect than anything else (nobody could see me except Madara, and I didn't care what he thought), I shaped fire and lightning into the smallest point I could.

The ephemeral giant, now revealed to have four arms each complete with giant katana, leapt toward me with Vegeta flying close behind now that he could see the light of my building attack. Shots from my pistol took Vegeta in the torso and Madara's giant across the face but failed to do any significant damage to either, so I unequipped the pistol and brought out my shovel as I waited for just the right moment. When the two of them were about one-hundred meters below me I activated the special Instant Dungeon I'd been working on, making sure to include all of my opponents in the area.

The world around us flashed and the cityscape below became a featureless plane of asphalt, while the sky went completely dark. My enhanced senses from Body Mod allowed me to see the body heat of the figures below, including the jerk with the trees and the trench coat guy, who'd apparently managed to make it to quite a ways up a building before he was sucked into this dark and featureless place. He fell, but I doubted it would kill him. The only light supplied in the visual spectrum came from the maelstrom of plasma condensing above my hand, and I was pretty sure it was getting hot enough to emit gamma radiation at this point so it probably wasn't a great idea to stare at it. Or hold it much longer.

I'd allowed only myself and those made with the thought energy I'd sensed earlier to enter, so there were no civilians. There was no escape. The beings beneath me most likely didn't have the requisite knowledge to break an illusion barrier, and I'd done all I could to make this one hard to leave anyway. Simply crossing over the borders wouldn't work, both because they were far away and because they were as unyielding as a dozen [Force Wall]s. Supernatural attacks would bounce off them like with my [Reflect] ability, and attempting to exit the proper way would pit their willpower against my own but amplified by my MP even if they did figure out the method. Finally: natural regeneration of mystic energy was cut off here for everyone but me, at least in theory. This was a prison Instant Dungeon, and nobody was leaving alive unless I let them out myself.

Madara's construct swung a sword, and I glided out of the way before pointing the ball of superheated plasma through its face straight at the figure in the middle. A line of actinic light left a blazing path burned into my vision for a fraction of a second, and the giant fell to the ground melting away from the partially vaporized body of the Uchiha within. A freight train hit me in the side, and I smashed into the side of the Instant Dungeon an instant later. Vegeta had managed to work out where I was from the plasma ball, and he was probably already used to blinding flashes of light. Or just immune to them because he was a stupid alien from a stupid show with a stupid plot.

My hit points dropped significantly, despite the mid-level [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] I'd been using to boost my stats and defense. Madara's corpse had disappeared again, so the crazy bastard was around here somewhere doing Gaia-knew-what. I ramped up my [Mystical Energy (Basic Mastery)] as high as it would go with my current skill level, then reserved a third of my total MP for [Mystical Energy Generator]. If I kept that up and did nothing I risked being forced into [Mystical Energy (Body)] and losing physical form, but even after my reserves refilled I'd be using enough energy to keep them from becoming a problem. [Holy] raced through my body, regenerating hit points as it went but remaining within my ability to conceal. Also, losing physical form was an option with some of these guys. I just had to make sure Madara and the Senju tree-fucker were out of the way before I could risk it, since they might have sealing techniques.

The blue giant formed again, this time staying on the ground and swinging its energy swords to launch spectral projectiles into the air in every direction. This distracted Vegeta enough that I was able to catch him in the eyes with a lightning bolt and follow it up with a conjured tungsten rod hurled as hard as I could manage with telekinesis. The bolt ruined his eyes, and the tungsten rod went straight through his ribcage and the undamaged back side of his armor. The armor itself exploded, sending shrapnel and bits of things I really didn't want to think about shooting back from the soon-to-be or already dead man. I faded into invisibility again and tried one of the strategies I'd come up with for another anime character on Madara: using a quick combination of [Elemental Bending] and [Force Wall] I thinned the air below me, then erected a barrier to prevent the air rushing back in when I released control.

With the stage set, I filled the area with fire. It wasn't especially hot, and invoking it through a [Force Wall] felt all kinds of weird, but it served the purpose of removing the last of the breathable oxygen from the area. I watched dispassionately as the heat died down and the forms of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju started to suffocate. An oddly-deformed obese man with several missing teeth was bleeding out near Madara, having apparently been partially crushed by the spectral giant earlier. Wait...I was missing one. Wood and blasts of various elemental energies were slamming into the barrier below me, but I ignored them. The [Force Wall] was invulnerable so long as I concentrated on it and I had enough [Multi-Focus] to keep it up for now. Ah! That was my missing foe.

The man in the trench coat strode smoothly toward me across the [Force Wall] holding the air from the suffocating forms below. He'd drawn his sword, and radiated even more soul energy than before. I could **not** face this man on his terms. From the moment I'd spotted him something had started beating against Gamer's Mind, and when he muttered a word a flash of light erupted from his sword causing the pressure against Gamer's Mind became so powerful I was caught off guard for a moment. If he'd attacked in that moment I probably would have died. Instead he started monologuing, and I knew I was dealing with an idiot. Or at least someone with a terrible writer. When he started talking about master plans and zanpakuto I just got angry. This moron was from one of the anime I hated the most in all the world. Bleach. The idiot was monologuing, was from Bleach, and had an obvious power source sitting on his chest that shown like a beacon to my [Mystical Energy (Sense)].

My mana was full, so I studied him. He and the thing in his chest were bursting with soul power, but it was twisted and corrupted in a way I'd never seen before. All of this was overshadowed by the strange energy source: thought power. I'd managed to create something of a dispelling technique for all the forms of energy I knew before, but even if I adapted [Mystical Energy Voice] to work on this new energy it would be me trying to beat him down by force when he was clearly backed by a more significant reserve. [Multi-Focus] allowed me to think of or concentrate on seven different things at the same time with no loss of speed or quality, so I dedicated one thread to watching the idiot pontificate and four to figuring out a way to more effectively overcome more powerful sources of energy. The last threads kept my [Force Wall], [Mystical Energy (Body)], and [Mystical Energy (Generator)] powers activated and in balance with some difficulty.

The man finished his speech, which I'd completely ignored, and charged at me with his sword. As if on auto-pilot my body dodged out of the way, the thread that had been watching him defending me. He struck again and again, and each time I dodged for fear of what he was doing pumping so much energy into that blade of his. He was getting faster too, probably testing me for some idiot plot. Finally, I came to a testable hypothesis. I was able to control any form of energy I was familiar with due to the Gamer's ability to use any ability with MP regardless of the source it would normally use. That was what I'd been using to "smooth out" and absorb power for the [Mystical Energy (Void)] technique so far. The man before me was leaking energy like an idiot, possibly in an attempt to intimidate me. There was still something made from the same energy hammering at my mind. All of it was energy, and from a certain standpoint should behave like energy.

Lectures and podcasts from my first life few through my memory. Everything in the universe, including matter, was in theory made from oscillations in the very fabric of the universe. Oscillations were energy, and I could control energy. I'd proven that I could control more than just supernatural energy by developing [Elemental Bending] and tweaking it to produce all kinds of different effects. I hadn't been doing it consciously for the most part: the Gamer's Skills ability had been making up for lack of knowledge with its own kind of power, but every time I came to actually understand what I was doing the skill associated with that knowledge had increased and I'd been able to wield it more efficiently, with finer precision, and with more power. There was one thing all energy shared: oscillation. Even if it was in a place so fundamentally alien to my way of thinking that I would never fully comprehend it, every type of energy I'd yet encountered had that in common. I converted MP into soul energy in my hand, and let it slowly build as I dedicated more of my thought processes to avoiding the strange man's attacks.

When the energy had built to a sufficient level, I made a mental u-turn and shifted it ever so slightly. He looked puzzled at the blade of unformed soul energy that I tossed between us when he charged. He was no longer puzzled when it impacted the center of his chest and he discovered the wonderful properties of destructive interference. He staggered, and I took advantage of the opportunity to fill the area with plasma. When he came after me again, screaming in rage and pain with a gaping hole where the power source had been, I incorporated this latest technique into my [Mystical Energy (Void)] technique. So long as I directed enough attention to it and gave it a bit of MP to keep going, it would now absorb energy and emit destructive interference at whatever was left instead of attempting to smooth it. Sosuke Aizen, though I would never know his name, came within range of the void aura and collapsed as what remaining soul energy he had was neutralized.

I hesitated to end him for a moment, then remembered that this was not a person. This was a soulless being created from thought power. Then I adjusted my aura to destroy that too, and the man lost cohesion with a ghostly wail. Only my power was allowed here. I could be overcome with brute force, but it would now require a level of energy several orders of magnitude greater than my own since my defense fed on what attacked it.

I glanced over at where Vegeta's body had fallen on the [Force Wall] to note that he too had faded and been replaced by a pile of shinies. The Madara and whoever the guy with the beard had been seemed to have died too, but the damn Senju had turned himself into a tree and was just fine without oxygen. There was probably enough carbon dioxide in there for him to regenerate, too. Did he even need that? He wasn't dependent on lungs now, so he was a problem. I gathered the loot on the [Force Wall] with telekinesis and shoved it in my inventory, then shifted my focus such that all I was doing was maintaining the said wall and gathering plasma just below it. If he could have bypassed the wall he would have done it by now, so I'd stay up here and play "fry the tree man." When he finally stopped moving I beat him with my shovel until he turned into loot.

[You've obtained the title: Light-Bringer!]  
[By earning a title that spawned a legend, you've earned an extra title slot!]

I dismissed the [Force Wall] holding me up, then used [Flight] and [Telekinesis] to gather up the remaining useful items. The won notes from below the barrier were singed, but passing them through my inventory fixed that for all but the worst of them, which I destroyed. The pile of books all went in my inventory with the strange sword, flintlock pistol, ridiculous black and gold cape, and seed packet. I'd study them later.

[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[Quest complete! Survive the Anime Attack!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]  
[You gained a level!]

When I left my Instant Dungeon I found a scene of devastation. It looked the city had been hit with an earthquake, a dozen tornadoes, a fire tornado, and then just for fun the sewers had backed up.


	15. Chapter 15

I went through the next several weeks feeling numb. The rest of the attacking anime characters had apparently been traced back to the source of the ritual that had given them form, where the few remaining members of the Dan Ui clan killed the perpetrators. I met up with Jee-Han and helped rescue the wounded and recover the dead, moving on to a different part of the city whenever people started to wonder how we'd kept going for so long or when people started to notice how we could lift more than anyone should rightly be able to. We healed those found buried in the rubble that were still alive but unconscious, then left them for the paramedics. Several times rubble fell on my head or I fell down into a pit full of sharp objects, but I didn't care. Gaia could inflict all the bad luck she wanted on me: I was done. I was going to wrap up and take a damn break.

I checked in with the Hwans and the Cheon Bu and tried to find my mother, but she'd disappeared. I knew I should be heartbroken, but I still couldn't bring myself to care. Those of the Abyss that needed medical assistance were healed whenever I found them, regardless of their previous affiliation. Many of them gave me odd looks, but my dead-eyed stare was enough to discourage questions when I approached with an offer of healing and an aura of pearlescent light shining around me already easing their aches and pains from a distance.

My warehouse had become a small community by the time I returned to it. The former slaves had used the resources I'd given them to live relatively normal lives, and the junk from the various houses and clan compounds that had appeared when the Witch of Slaughter's wards went off with my technique integrated had been passed around until just about everyone had gotten involved in the effort to break the slave spells. Those who were too broken to help had been tasked with menial labor but treated fairly, and I knew there wasn't much I could do to help them aside from try my own healing and turn them over to one of the Abyss clans.

When I announced that it was safe to leave and that with the relief effort still ongoing on missing persons suddenly appearing might go unnoticed many took that as their cue to leave. They brought with them only what they felt they couldn't do without, and my only stipulations were that I wanted a copy of the notes they'd taken when they learned to break the slave magic and any books they took with them. That job went to the discrete print shop and bookbinder that Sung-Ah had originally contracted to create the book versions of my [Holy] manual, which was miraculously still standing. They refused to accept payment when I asked after the fee, which I took to mean that my reputation had finally grown beyond my control. I didn't know that it had done that the moment I healed Sung-Ah. They also gave me five hundred more copies of my [Holy] book, which I just shoved into my inventory via my backpack.

When the rescue workers left and the rebuilding began I went back to school in a relatively undamaged part of the city. They gave me a hard time over my records, but since a lot had been lost in the disaster I was able to finished my degree in only three semesters. Yay. I finished a quest. Note the lack of enthusiasm. No explanation point, you see?

[Quest complete! Continuing Education!]  
[You gained a level!]

I absently closed the pop ups when I finished my last test, not the least bit concerned about spending stat points right now. I didn't attend graduation. Neither did most of my class, come to think of it. The country itself was in still recovering from the shock. Even just after the event, news footage of a giant dragon thing appearing over Seoul then disappearing barely merited a comment from newscasters after Naruto had swarmed several locations, a giant fucking tree had appeared in the middle of the street (destabilizing several high rises in the process), etc.

Lots of things had been destroyed, lots of people were dead, and lots more were missing. I actually sought therapy, but had to wait a ridiculously long time to get an appointment. It didn't bother me. Gamer's Mind had kicked in the night of the massacre and hadn't turned off since then. The description of the ability said that normal emotions couldn't exist for more than a few seconds if I didn't want them to, and I didn't. There was too much, and I had to parse it out over time. When the therapist talked to me the first time, I think I spooked him. He said the would have admitted me to the hospital psychiatric ward, but there wasn't any room. The therapy sessions helped, and I spent a lot of time meditating and slowly allowing Gamer's Mind to wear off. I thanked Washu for the ability to turn it off gradually, and got a brief feeling of comfort in return. It was part of the deal, but she was glad to honor it. Ember's presence was a great help, and she'd been very agreeable to as much petting as I wanted both during and after I told her the story of what had happened.

I went home to find that my mother had been found in a comatose state and healed by Sung-Ah. She knew, or thought she knew, what I was now. She no longer looked at me like her son, but like an object of worship. When I tried to explain my motivation for leaving her, that I'd tried and failed to keep her safe, and that I'd basically forgotten about her and my responsibility to my family in the interim she held me as I cried and denied any wrongdoing. We made up, but were never close after that.

When I wasn't spending time with Jee-Han and the friends I'd finally started to make among the Cheon Bu I started using my time to actively search out and destroy the rotten parts of the Abyss that had lead to the Dan Ui and the Auction slaughtering so many people, thus perpetuating the cycle of hatred that had lead to nation-wide devastation. The ones who'd performed the ritual were dead, as were most of the Dan Ui and the employees of the Abyss Auction, but with my growing [Mystical Energy (Sense)] I could detect the use of necromancy, mind control, and a host of other nasty things over the entirety of the Korean peninsula and out into parts of China, Japan, and Russia while meditating on it. It took me a great deal of time to track down the practitioners, but when I did I left behind corpses or people so traumatised they were unlikely to ever repeat their actions. I tried for the latter, and was getting better at persuading those I encountered to "see the light."

Five months after Anime Attack someone had finally had enough of me stomping on what I considered the criminal elements of the Korean Abyss and tried to do something about it. They performed a sacrificial ritual both to lure me in and summon a powerful demon. I smote it with [Holy], telekinesis, and plasma in the sky over the west coast of Korea and ended up suffering horrible diarrhea for weeks. Gaia was displeased, and I just tried to rest and get a lot of fluids.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Holy (Smite)!]  
[You have earned the title: Morning Star!]  
[By earning a title that spawned a legend, you've earned an extra title slot!]

-

It had been two years since I arrived in the world of The Gamer, and I was making progress. I'd finally allocated my stat points after the demon incident and gained upgrades from [Basic Speedster] to [Speedster] and [Basic Strong Spirit] to [Strong Spirit]. I got [Strong Back] too, which made it possible to carry small car sized objects in my inventory and added a customizable organization and search system. This prompted me to clean out my inventory and actually look at some of the crap I'd accumulated, and there was a **lot** of it. Almost five billion won, a truckload of soul stones, a small library worth of books (some of which I kind of wanted to burn - An Idiot's Guide to Devil Fruit? Really?), a bunch of old Black Rock gear, some skill books I really needed to get copied then absorb, weapons, clothing, the Shovel of Light, a pokémon I couldn't keep, and more. So much more. Oh, and a self-updating copy of my character sheet. God that was messy.

I dropped the books off at the print shop to have them copied then headed for a park and called on Washu. Time stopped and she appeared sitting on the bench next to me with a bowl of ice cream.

"What's up?"

"I need to get rid of some of this stuff, and wanted to negotiate. Most of it I'll sell, but the godlike pokémon and a couple of the loot items I picked up from Anime Attack are on the table. The pistol, cape, and sword in particular. My starting offer is that I forfeit all of those in exchange for combining my currency perks into something that works on all worlds and making my shovel cooler. And unlosable."

She snorted into her ice cream and moved to wipe her face clean, giggling the entire time.

"You want to to exchange legendary zanpakuto that'll attach to whoever first wields it, a collectible pistol, an enchanted cape, and enough energy to recreate massively powerful pokémon for a cooler shovel and a slightly better currency perk?" She asked incredulously.

"Ummm...yes," I said, a little uncertain. I hadn't bothered to observe the items, since I found the anime they came from distasteful and I already had an amazing sword ability.

"Done! Give me the items and the shovel. Your Legal Tender perk will now be worth a million dollars and be added to your inventory at the start of every jump instead of being a card or reliant on the existence of particular country."

I handed her the items, a bit stunned at her generosity. Everything but the shovel and the PokéBall disappeared when she touched it, and those she examined for a moment before handing me back the now-empty PokéBall.

"So what exactly do you want this to do? You've got a bit of leeway. I can easily bind it to your soul so it always comes when you call no matter where it was previously, but it won't grow with you or anything ridiculous like that after I upgraded your Legal Tender perk. Think minor powers and modifications." I nodded thoughtfully.

"I'd really only intended to ensure it was a genuine holy object, since I'm supposed to be a god eventually. I imbued it with [Holy] energy, but I don't think that counts. I guess...I mean, I like it as a shovel but sometimes that's not really useful. Can you make it shiftable, so I can use it as a shield or something?"

The Shovel of Light turned into a plastic spade and she handed it back to me, then left with a smile. Time restarted while I was staring at the toy in my hand. '[Observe],' I thought at it.

[The Shovel of Light]  
_This sanctified item is imbued with Wren's [Holy] energy, and can act as a focus for that and any other MP-based abilities he has. It deals additional damage to malevolent spirits, demons, etc. and has a chance to blind or even outright destroy weak examples of such on contact. Finally, the Shovel of Light can transform into any simple, non-mechanical object of similar mass to the original or less but will always be indestructible. The resulting object must be made of common materials and does not gain any additional properties. Wren can call it to him from anywhere in the multiverse, and can choose to show or hide the aura of the item at will._

-

The remaining years in The Gamer universe were mostly uneventful. I got some therapy, sold a bunch of junk, learned how to turn into plants and eventually a whole damn forest, made a ton of money messing around in Instant Dungeons with Jee-Han when he wasn't busy with the enemy of the week, and picked up a lot of ranks in [Tutor] when he started college. I could now create Instant Dungeons where no time passed at all inside, and the skill had evolved at level 100 from [Instant Dungeon] to [Genesis]. It retained all the abilities of the original, but now allowed me to start creating my own little dimensions that would get better, bigger, and harder to destroy the more I worked on them. If I used the skill in conjunction with [Conjuration] I could actually create about a house sized demi-plane now. All of my skills worked better there, and the more I leveled it the more I'd be able to control the environment during and after creation.

Experience-wise, I slowed down a great deal when I hit level 100. Jee-Han had predicted that every time we added a digit to the total level we would need substantially more experience to advance, and Washu confirmed it for me. When I hit level 1000 it would become yet more difficult, ad infinitum. The fact that I didn't have a level cap was really cool, and it finally dawned on me exactly why Washu had forced this as my second jump. Ember thought that the Gamer ability was actually the seed from which Washu planned to build my godhood, and I agreed with her. The comic itself had stated that a low-level Gamer had the potential of a demigod, but I didn't remember anyone ever saying anything more about it.

When I got bored grinding my skills I started in on training my individual stats and refining my control. Between that and simply living my life I didn't really have time for anything else. When the time came to end the Jump all of my stats except strength indicated I was something like forty times more powerful than your average human, and even there it was thirty-six times the average. If you included the passive buffs from my abilities those numbers went up even more, and active buffs were yet more ridiculous. I said goodbye, gathered up my things and Ember, and disappeared from that world.

-

When I appeared in the Warehouse, it was just as I'd left it ten years and a lot of therapy ago. Washu sat down with me over hot chocolate, tea, and a wide variety of other goodies and we talked for ages. When we were out of things to say, she waved open a window that my character sheet in a much neater format than I'd seen it earlier. Another tab contained possible and recommended targets for the next Jump. For some reason Harry Potter was at the top of the list.

"Washu? Harry Potter? Any particular reason why?"

"Several: your [Holy] ability and knowledge of the world would let you essentially destroy the plot right from the outset, you can vastly improve the life of Harry and everyone around him, going there would update the Abyss Library in your warehouse and allow you to refine your magical skills further, and you have the opportunity to meet and talk to Death without actually dying if you gather his items and call me. Setting a few goals will allow you to leave the jump early and get you additional time and abilities for the future."

"Those are all fair points, but I'd really been planning on Ranma for my next jump. How strongly do you recommend I do this one first?"

"Strongly, but not so much that you couldn't take Ranma first. The problem is that I looked at your notes for the Ranma jump and you're going to need to be more magically flexible and better at a few techniques to keep up with some of the more talented characters."

"Alright...so if I want to do this quickly, I should try and limit myself to Harry's first year. My goals will be to completely eliminate Voldemort, get Harry together with Sirius Black as a guardian, cure Remus Lupin so he can take over the defense post, remove the curse on the defense post, and keep Ron Weasley from ever gaining a foothold in the gold trio."

"Why the last one?"

"I hate Ron Weasley as a character. When I try to figure out why it pretty much just comes back to him being an annoying brat who constantly undermines the progress of everyone around him and has not a drop of loyalty in his entire body. Also I kind of think Rupert Grint is fugly."

Washu gave me an odd look at that, but let the subject die and continued on to something else.

"Ok, I told you earlier that you'd be going into this as a Black by blood and you'd either need to take Metamorph or be able to imitate it. Since you've got Transform down to a level where you can make small changes to your Pokémon form along with The Gamer abilities, I'm going to make sure whatever body you start in is related to the Blacks and give you Metamorphmagus for free. If you take drop-in they'll assume you're from a squib line or something. Nobody is likely to see the portrait until you free Sirius and he won't care unless I make you his kids, which doesn't fit the drop-in background. You'll probably be Marius Black's descendent if you go that route, since he was disowned as a squib."

I blinked at all the information, then nodded. That meant drop-in was the best way to go, especially given I was tired of abandoning family at the end of each Jump.

"Washu….I'd planned on playing the Amazon Warrior background for Ranma ½, but I really don't want to do the family thing again and my powers are going to be decidedly non-standard anyway. Can I be a foundling or something and still do that background?"

"Mmmm...sure, that works. Nobody ever said you couldn't customize your background a bit, and nobody's going to stop me from making my own tweaks if I want. You can do the same thing in Harry Potter, but I suspect you've already chosen to go in as a drop-in character."

"Yeah. Let me make my choices and we can get started. Thanks, Miss Washu!" I smiled at her, and she gave me a smirk back. A helpful Jump-Chan was the best kind, and I'd always loved Washu as a character anyway. Her shoulder-puppets started their routine and I started choosing my options for the Harry Potter Jump.

The drop-in background was an obvious choice and left me with an additional fifty choice points for automatically being an impoverished orphan. Washu wandered over and picked Hufflepuff for me, only returning my questioning look with one of her own, and I moved on to perks. Just and Loyal was free, and Memory Spell Specialist was discounted for drop-ins. Dedicated would allow me to study without getting bored, which would be especially useful since it also increased information retention. Clean-Blooded gave me immunity to illness and disease, which in most worlds should include vampirism and lycanthropy since it didn't exempt magical illnesses and diseases. Being able to turn it off would mean I could still acquire those as alternate forms in future Jumps, so I picked it up.

Looking over the rest of the options left me a bit stumped. I already had powers or skills that would build up to or already were the equivalent of Occlumency, Muggle Dueling, Non-Verbal Specialty, Legilimency, The Only One He Ever Feared, Wandlore, Moste Potente Potions, Veela Blood, Seer, Giant Blood, Nullification, and Wandless Magic. Animagus was an alternate form so I had to take it, and I picked an arctic fox since I'd always had a fondness for the creatures and it would be easy to switch between that and my Ninetails form to mess with people. What did that leave me with? Metamorphmagus was selected, locked, and marked free. Parselmouth could eventually lead into Beast Speech for me, so I picked that up. None of the other perks really looked interesting enough to take here rather than try to develop the skill on my own.

The companion and gear options were more interesting. I imported Ember as a companion and glanced at the remaining options. These were drool-worthy. Pensieve, Marauder's Map, Potion Reagents, Goblin Made Sword, Phoenix, Invisibility Cloak, Philosopher's Stone, and Time Turner were all amazing. I'd have to keep them in mind for future jump purchases, since I could only have a few. I could eventually learn to create a pensieve, philosopher's stone, or even a time turner myself, but Marauder's Map, Potions Reagents, Goblin Made Sword, and Phoenix were more difficult.

I eventually settled on Marauder's Map since it was discounted for the drop-in background, leaving me just enough points to pick up a phoenix that counted as a pet rather than a companion. I could get common potion ingredients anywhere, and might be able to purchase a goblin-made sword. Phoenix tears were rare, and there was probably ash from burning days, molted feathers, and other things I could harvest without mistreating it. Hell, if I did this right I could snag the philosopher's stone from the first book without much effort.

I still had points left over and hadn't used any of those I had banked or taken any drawbacks. Speaking of drawbacks...prophecy would allow me to fulfil the damn thing instead of Harry, so I took that. Marked was reduced to 0cp with a note that since I could easily remove it there wasn't any point. Bully Teacher looked good. I didn't give a crap about my grades and it would be easy to have Snape find out I was a Black to justify it. None of the others looked attractive.

Next, I invited Ember over to the console. She was kind of looking forward to getting her own alternate human form, and took drop-in and Hufflepuff to be in my orphanage and house respectively. She also picked Prophecy and Bully Teacher, then had a brief argument with Washu before picking up Marked and Oblivious [1]. When I asked about it Ember simply told me that "rules as written" applied to my companions too and the mark would have a negative impact on her even if I removed it since the orphanage matron would see it. I smiled and asked Washu if I could take it as well, but she refused to give me points for it. I took it anyway, tweaked my wand to import the Shovel of Light, and banked my remaining 250 points for later.

Ember chose the Occlumency, Animagus, Non-Verbal Specialty, Metamorph, and Wandless Magic perks and a Refilling Zonko's Bag to spend the last of her points [1]. She really was a kitsune, wasn't she? We spoke to Washu for a few minutes to establish a background we liked that fell within the rules, then were booted through a portal.

-

[1] : The result of the argument was that Ember being marked would have to come out at some point even if I removed it and Oblivious would only work because of "rules as written" and the fact I'd told her about it. She was still within the drawback cap, after all. Ember's knowledge of Transform also made Metamorph free.

Sorry it took me a while to post this! It's been written for about a week now but needed last-minute revisions and we were both pretty busy, then distracted. On the bright side I've got most of the Potter-verse arc written, but it still needs to be edited.


	16. Chapter 16

Ember and I appeared as eleven year old twins at the reception desk of Wool's Orphanage. It was Wednesday July 24, 1991 and the nice lady who worked the desk was talking about assigning us a room and how it was so very odd we'd already received letters before we arrived. I exchanged a glance with Ember and we agreed telepathically to wait until we got the letters to start on our plans. Seeing her as a human girl was weird, but kind of nice. We were siblings now, more so than we had been after I became her brother as a ninetails. The fact that I was legitimately telepathic was going to leave the Weasley twins in the dust. I sent Ember a party invite and she accepted.

"Alright...so if I want to do this quickly, I should try and limit myself to Harry's first year. My goals will be to completely eliminate Voldemort, get Harry together with Sirius Black as a guardian, cure Remus Lupin so he can take over the defense post, remove the curse on the defense post, and keep Ron Weasley from ever gaining a foothold in the gold trio."

[Quest Alert! Permanently defeat Voldemort!]  
[Quest Alert! Free Sirius Black!]  
[Quest Alert! Cure Remus Lupin!]  
[Quest Alert! Break the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position!]  
[Quest Alert! Get Remus Lupin hired as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!]  
[Quest Alert! Spite Ron Weasley!]  
[Quest Alert! Remove the Dark Mark!]  
[Quest Alert! Obtain the Deathly Hallows!]  
[Quest Alert! Neutralize as many Death Eaters as possible!]  
[Quest Alert! Eliminate dangerous elements around the school!]  
[Transform, Animagus, Metamorphmagus, and two alternate forms combined to make the skill: Shapeshift!]

Awesome.

Our letters retrieved, I thanked the woman before carefully applying [Mind Magic] to erase her knowledge of both us and the letters. We walked out, found a secluded spot, and transformed into adult versions of ourselves before hailing a cab. We were headed for the bookstore on Charing Cross Road, which I remembered should be near the Leaky Cauldron, from which we could access Diagon Alley and the post office among other things. Checking our pockets revealed we already had wands, mine hawthorne and phoenix feather and hers dogwood and phoenix feather.

The Cauldron was pretty run-down, but not as bad as some of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants I'd been to. The bartender was nice enough to let us into the Alley, and from there we headed to the post office to send replies to our Hogwarts letters to Professor McGonagall in which we asked for assistance and notified her we would be at the bookstore or the Cauldron. We stood out a little in our muggle clothing, but nobody asked us to leave while we browsed the shop. We'd already gathered up the first year texts along with anything that caught our eye as potentially useful and I was busily flipping through and memorizing the last of the seventh year texts when a stern witch that I could only assume was McGonagall herself walked into the shop. Her eyes locked on us as the only unattended children in the store, and she approached.

"Wren and Ember Black, I presume?"

Ember looked at her curiously while I finished the book and returned it to the shelf, then replied, "You presume correctly, madame."

The woman nodded and guided us to an alcove where we could have a discussion without being in the way of the other customers.

"What exactly do you require assistance with so urgently? You clearly found a way into the Alley. And where are your parents?"

"That's just it, ma'am," Ember replied. "Father died recently, and left us a few journals explaining the magical world. We received our letters today and came here by muggle means, since we don't have an owl. We were supposed to contact cousin Sirius or you if we needed help, and told we needed to visit the Ministry at some point too. We don't know where the Ministry is, though."

"You poor dears. You're related to that scoundrel Black, then? And why would you need to visit the Ministry?"

"Yes, though I didn't know my cousin was a scoundrel. We need to visit the Ministry because we both have animal forms. Our tutors were quite surprised to find we had a natural talent for that and several other things."

McGonagall's eye twitched a bit and her expression became incredulous when Ember told her we were animagi. Since I was directing her via telepathy and she had no tells as per the Occlumency perk, there was no way to tell whether or not we were lying. She decided to test us anyway.

"Animagi? At your age? Show me," she demanded, expecting us to fail. Her eyes went wide when we exchanged a glance then turned into a pair of pure-white foxes right there in the bookstore. "Astounding! For someone not even in their first year to have such a skill is unheard of! Do you have any trouble transforming? Have you ever gotten stuck?" We shook our heads in reply and I took up the conversation.

"No, ma'am. Sometimes we have trouble not transforming, but that's altogether different than turning into a fox." Mine and Ember's eye colors flashed through a few different colors before returning to our default blue, and she gasped, putting a hand on her chest as if she felt faint.

[Shapeshift has gained a level!]

"You certainly are related to the Blacks. Metamorphs are very rare, and with you two we'll have three in the school at the same time! Goodness me, animagi as well! I don't think that's ever happened before! Do you have any more surprises for me? I'm not sure I can handle another."

I shrugged and Ember tittered a quiet laugh, earning a reproachful look for our future teacher.

"Shall I take you two little prodigies to the Ministry then? And what are your living arrangements?"

"Yes, please. And we have a muggle caretaker. We never knew Mother, but she's been good to us. Wren's pet brings us places if they're magical, but kind of stands out if we bring him outside the house otherwise."

"And I suppose I'm going to have to have to deal with an unusual pet too, if it can bring you places. What is it?"

"No ma'am," I replied with a sparkle in my eye that set her on edge. "Guinevere's just an ordinary phoenix."

The professor looked faint, and I heard her mutter that she needed a drink. My smile didn't budge an inch.

"Aye lad, that I'll have to see. Let's get your books paid for and I'll escort ye to the Ministry," she replied. Her accent was a little thicker when she was caught off guard, I guess. "Black twins descended from a disowned squib with a phoenix familiar and animagus forms before you even start school! You're damn right someone in the Ministry needs to see you miscreants before you get yourselves killed," she muttered as she herded us toward the counter. I paid for the books silently, and McGonagall muttered again that we were Ravenclaws for certain when she saw how many we'd picked up in addition to the normal texts. Alchemy, arithmancy, divination, runes, occlumency, and a few extra potions references for study and some wizarding children's stories for fun.

-

The Ministry of Magic was an interesting place, and Professor McGonagall pushed us through the animagus registration process as quickly as she could then took us directly to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, or DMLE. When asked what her business was she asked to speak to Director Bones if she had a moment, or a senior auror if she didn't. Fortunately Madame Bones had some time before lunch, so we were quickly led into her office.

"Minerva," the aging but still very pretty redhead behind the desk asked. "What did you need me for? And who are these children?"

The professor began her explanation, and the Director of the DMLE looked increasingly incredulous. When it was done, the woman turned to me and Ember and asked us for a demonstration. We both turned into arctic foxes and back again, making the stoic woman twitch but not much more. When I called Guinevere and a shining silver-plumed phoenix appeared on my shoulder in a ball of fire her eyes widened and she leaned back in her chair far enough I thought she might fall over.

"We also have a matter we need to speak to you about privately, Director. If that's alright?" I said. This was the real reason we were here. I knew there would likely be some repercussions to this beyond what I wanted, but I was confident we could handle anything unexpected. When Professor McGonagall left the room after a few pointed words with Director Bones, I turned serious eyes on her and began my pitch.

"Director Bones, when Father was died it wasn't from old age or an accident. He was killed by men in masks and dark robes. They took us somewhere and experimented on us. From what I heard they were trying to force something called the Dark Mark to work on people who didn't want to take it. Guinevere eventually felt our distress and came to rescue us, bonding to me in the process. The problem is this. My sister has one too," I finished and lifted my sleeve. The Dark Mark was there, emblazoned on angry red skin for all to see. Amelia gasped and immediately came to inspect it. She raised her wand to her lips and whispered a few words, then pointed it away from herself and a silver form shot from it.

I was annoyed when she marched over to the door and called Minerva back to explain what I'd told her, but it was to be expected. I wondered if she'd be the one to fulfil the Bully Teacher drawback, but I doubted it. When another auror and a man in a hooded cloak with an obscuring spell over his face entered I started to wonder exactly how far this would spread with a mixture of anticipatory glee and exasperation. Unspeakable Croaker, as Madame Bones addressed him, set about examining the mark on my arm when Ember shied away to hide behind me. No one seemed aware of the constant telepathic communication between us, or if they were they showed no sign and asked no questions. Perhaps if they did notice they'd attribute it to a phenomenon unique to magical twins in this universe.

When Croaker started asking questions I answered as succinctly as I could, saying I remembered being taken to a stone room that smelled of mildew. There had been several figures present, but I only overheard them speaking about the experiment except for a few names. When asked what those names were I reached back into the memories of my first life and recited a list.

"Alecto, Amicus, Lucius, Nott, and McNair. There were more, but those are the only names I heard. I'm fairly certain they were going to kill us when they were done."

Bones, the auror, and the professor looked angry but with some sadness and a touch of disbelief. The Unspeakable's expression was calculating. The adults huddled together for a few minutes under what could only be a silencing spell, since my enhanced senses detected no sound other than a faint buzzing coming from them. When they finished the Unspeakable approached me.

"Are you willing to be questioned under veritaserum?" He asked seriously. I assented with the condition that my sister did not have to undergo or witness such a thing. I'd undergone a great deal to protect her, and speaking about them again like this was already painful enough for me. McGonagall and the auror escorted her to a waiting area while the Unspeakable and Madame Bones took me to an interrogation/interview room. Another auror met us there, and started a quill floating above a roll of parchment.

They asked my name, and I gave it freely. McGonagall already knew us and our Hogwarts enrollment would have such information. There was no reason to hide it. I stuck my tongue out and the potion was administered. It didn't affect me at all due to Gamer's Mind, but I let my eyes unfocus slightly and made my voice as emotionless as possible just in case. When they used a spell to test and see if the potion I wasn't I honestly wasn't sure what would happen, but the Unspeakable who cast it confirmed to Madame Bones that it was working so I assumed it only checked to make sure it hadn't been neutralized in my body.

"Official questioning of Wren Black on July 24th 1991 regarding allegations of murder, kidnapping, and illegal experimentation performed on children. Mr. Black, please state your full name."

The interrogation went on from there with me repeating the story I'd told them earlier and making up details for Marius's death. When asked if I'd heard anything else unusual I reported that only three things had stuck out at the time: imperio, morsmorde, and obliviate. Both were used in my presence, but I'd heard obliviate used when my sister and I were in our cell too. After that they started repeating questions in different ways, trying to see if I had any more information or if I'd seen any faces or defining features. I told them that Lucius had very pretty blonde hair, but I remembered little else. Ember and I had been found and taken home by Guinevere.

That got concerned looks, and they asked me if I meant we'd been taken back to where Marius Black was murdered. I told them no, and when asked to elaborate I said that we'd been staying with a squib caretaker and one of our tutors at the time. It had only been bad luck we were visiting our father when the men in masks showed up. More detailed questioning regarding the murder followed, and Washu's giggling in the back of my mind started to get annoying. Apparently some sort of emotion got through into my voice, since the adults wrapped up and gave me the antidote before escorting me back to the room with my sister then disappeared for a while.

Ember and I talked about basic math and I worked with her on reading and writing with supplies from my backpack/inventory to pass the time. When McGonagall and Bones returned to collect us and brought us back to the Head's office, we were asked to sit. Questions were raised about how safe we were at home and whether we should be allowed to return. I argued that if we didn't return our caretaker would be worried for us, and he was the one Father had said would take us when he died. He'd been quite old after all. That seemed to appease Madame Bones a bit, but McGonagall insisted that steps be taken to protect the home from magical attack, or at least notify the DMLE if an unfamiliar magical showed up there.

Amelia seemed to consider this carefully before writing out a note and casting a spell that turned it into a paper aeroplane, which then soared out of her office. She then explained that there was a young auror candidate who would be joining in a year if she passed the test, and that she was also a cousin to Marius Black and thus his children. She would discuss with the young woman the possibility of a sort of internship for the rest of the summer to watch over the house when we were there and us when we left, then contact Arcturus Black to see if he wanted anything to do with his distant relatives.

Feigning a look of surprise, I asked how many relatives we had left since Father hadn't liked to talk about family. The explanation that followed was informative for Ember, but only useful to me in that it confirmed Walburga Black was dead and the names they did give us might not wish to associate with us because our father had been disowned. We were essentially muggleborn per the law and family tradition unless someone took us in. Even then our social status would be half-blood at best. Until they heard back, we were to be taken to a secure ward in St. Mungo's to be examined as part of an ongoing investigation.

-

We stayed at St. Mungo's for several days. Every night I ate away at the Dark Mark on our arms just a little bit, and every time the healers checked them only to see them fading away they took copious notes. Croaker showed up a few times to take his own notes, but nobody ever noticed him except me. I had to point him out to Ember, and she still had trouble. The spell aura around him when he did this was fascinating, and I made sure to memorize it in as much detail as possible. Still, no one had detected my own magic use or said anything about it if they had. My telepathic conversations with Ember were likewise uncommented on, and I tutored Ember in the basic skills she'd need for Hogwarts the majority of the time. Reading, writing, arithmetic, and study habits mostly. Thanks to my [Tutor] skill she picked things up very quickly, and I started throwing in lessons on my own magic system and how to use it via telepathy when we were "playing."

One night I handed her one of the [Holy] books and since she was in my party she simply absorbed it. Her understanding of the way I used mystical energy skyrocketed after that, but she gave me a couple of odd looks. When I finally asked about them she reluctantly told me that Sung-Ah had added a lot of information to the printed copies, and had depicted me as a demi-god on the path to ascension. The skill book wasn't just a book on how to heal people and smite the shit out of undead and demons anymore, it was a religious text! Washu's hysterical laughter and admonition that it had to happen eventually didn't ease my headache. I briefly considered finding a bookbinder to print my re-created notes, but Washu said it would only slow down the process of actual ascension. I wasn't a demi-god yet, but I was close.

That blew my mind a little. I knew I was extremely powerful, but I didn't think I qualified for any sort of divinity. Washu and Ember **both** disabused me of that notion when they pointed out a long list of things that indicated I was divine, not the least of which was that my [Holy] power and the effect it produced when I stopped using [Mystical Energy (Concealment)] to keep it bottled up were consistent with minor life and nature gods and grew more powerful when people prayed to me or worshipped me. My dumbfounded look at the revelation that I had worshippers and prayers directed my way caused both Washu **and** Ember to laugh at me.

When she was finished giggling, Washu actually gave me permission to pass myself off as a minor god or powerful spirit descended from her! The worst part was that I actually WAS starting to hear little whispers in the back of my head that sounded an awful lot like Sung-Ah and some of the people I'd known in The Gamer universe, and when I heard them my [Holy] energy also flared a bit. It never escaped my body to become visible to others, but it was indeed slowly growing more powerful. Feeling a bit morose and very wrung out, I asked one of the healers if we could have some ice cream. Ember found a new love that day: strawberry ice cream. She gave great hugs, especially when she was happy. She was also very hyper.

-

When we were released from St. Mungo's it was in the care of a cheerful Hufflepuff seventh year with what I assumed was a deputy badge of some kind. She introduced herself as our cousin Tonks and took us back to the Alley so we could get the remainder of our Hogwarts shopping out of the way, then followed us into the muggle world for groceries and other necessities. We'd gotten very fancy multi-compartment feather-light self-shrinking trunks, more potions ingredients than usual, and a lot more books but other than that we stuck to the Hogwarts requirements. Tonks whistled at the trunks, and tried to get us to follow her into Hufflepuff instead of Ravenclaw when she saw how many books we got. Even if we were only cousins, she said family should stick together. Knowing that we were both going into Hufflepuff anyway, we teased her a bit about it before saying we'd see what happened.

When the time came to go home she asked us where we lived and I almost panicked. I'd only figured out a few places that might be useable for our cover story so far (abandoned homes we'd seen on the way to Charing Cross Road) and hadn't been able to prepare any of them before we acquired our escort. Gamer's Mind kept the anxiety from hitting full-blown panic mode, and my reply was a fairly reasonable gamble based on my knowledge of the series and my ridiculously high luck score. I told her we lived at four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. She apparated us there under disillusionment (invisibility) spells and walked us to the fence gate so we could enter discretely through the back. She'd send an update to the aurors and watch the house until the shift changed.

I desperately pushed a veil of [Illusion] over us to cover the sound as Ember and I burst into giggles when the gate closed. It was Sunday the 28th, and I heard movement inside. The wards were pathetic, so aside from the one that seemed to be linked to three of the people inside I tore them down and started erecting my own. With the theory I'd learned toward the end of my stay in The Gamer universe I layered in protections against teleportation, fire, water, offensive magic in general, divination in general, and a couple that would actively contain excess energy such that both the wards and magic use inside the house would go undetected unless you were actually inside them. They covered the area just beside the back door where Ember and I were standing and the whole of the building. I was the master of these wards, so I keyed in Ember and the only magical presence inside as being exempt of the restrictions of scrying, divination, and offensive magic before going to knock on the door.

I stopped before my hand came in contact with the wood. This was going to be loud, so I wove a barrier of [Illusion] into the wards that blocked outgoing noise as well. I might have to take that one down later, but it would be helpful here. I knocked, and a muffled "What the bloody hell!?" sounded from inside. An extremely obese man opened the door a minute later and started loudly ranting at us about interrupting his dinner and sneaking into his back yard. I silenced him with a look and a touch of [Illusion], then turned my skin slightly silver and let a bit of visible [Holy] aura leak into the air. Since we were inside the wards no one had heard Vernon Dursley's rant and the guard out front wouldn't notice anyone using magic. His eyes bulged out and he grabbed at his throat, so I gently nudged him aside with telekinesis and closed the door after we were all inside.


	17. Chapter 17

We were in a small nook off the kitchen, where we could see an anorexic woman and two children gaping at us. The smaller of the children was obviously Harry Potter, and he was carrying a glass of water and a plate with some bread on it. The larger child was nearly as obese as his father, and I identified him as Dudley.

"Hello Dursley family. Hello Harry Potter. We have business with you."

Vernon lunged for me and received a swat into the wall for his trouble. I was strong enough to handle any baseline human without effort, even one so large as the Dursley patriarch. Petunia started screaming and Dudley fell out of his chair while Harry just stared at us open-mouthed. The dishes he'd been carrying were floating a few inches beneath his hands, held in my telekinetic grip. I silenced Petunia and levitated Vernon and Dudley back into their chairs, then needed to silence Dudley too. I sighed and looked at Harry, gesturing into the dining area and conjuring three chairs.

"Please join us, Harry. This discussion will involve you. And have something more to eat, you look like hell."

Harry nodded absently, looking poleaxed, and reached down to grab the dishes floating in front of him. I let them go when he had a grip and guided both him and Ember to take a seat in the new chairs before sitting down myself. Absently moving roast chicken and some sort of casserole onto Harry's plate on top of the bread I began speaking.

"So. Dursley family: if you don't know why we're here you aren't very bright. Did you really think you could abuse and neglect a child for ten years and no one would notice?"

Dudley looked confused, the adults looked indignant, and Harry looked like a cornered animal. He didn't run away, but he wasn't eating either.

"My little sister and I are here to change how things work in this house, and we have plenty of power to do it. We will be staying here for as long as Harry does, we will heal him, and we will teach him some of what he needs to know until we find him a loving family to stay with. You cannot stop us, but we will do our best not to make nuisances of ourselves. Harry was placed here against the wishes of both you and his parents, and we will make every attempt to relocate him, at which point your family can be as...normal...as you want. I can even remove the memories of us and Harry from your minds if you wish it, but I will only do so if you ask." The Dursleys paled.

"I would ask if this is all agreeable, but you will put up with it regardless. I ask instead: do you understand?" Petunia nodded frantically. I repeated the question to Vernon, who had finally finished his silent rant about freaks and now appeared to be both angry and terrified. He was glaring daggers at us and I had to repeat the questions several times. His nod was minimally reassuring.

"Very well. Harry, please gather your things. We will be going upstairs and allow these three to finish their supper. Bring your food or don't. We can and will provide for you until we've got this sorted out."

The boy stood and walked woodenly into another room, presumably toward the stairs. I waved my hand at the Dursleys to bathe them in [Holy] light for the sake of the calming effect and healing anything that may be easily fixable. Petunia and Vernon visibly straightened in their seats, while Dudley got a dreamy look on his face and slumped a little in his chair.

"We are not monsters, and your judgement for your behavior will not come from us. I offer you this gift of healing in the hope that we can resolve this with minimal dispute. You may find a new door upstairs: this is where we will be staying. It will not open for you, but if you knock and we are inside we will hear it."

Ember and I stood, I let the Dursleys go and dispelled the silencing magic, then let the chairs fade away as we followed Harry out of the room. He was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs and looked spooked, but also a little hopeful. He'd clearly been listening while I addressed the Dursleys. Ember gave him a big smile and startled him with a hug, which he didn't seem to know how to handle. I tutted and gestured up the stairs. In the hallway opposite the bathroom I conjured the image of a door, then opened a portal to my home in the Cosmic Warehouse behind it. When I touched the door it faded away to show the interior of my own home, leaving only the illusion of the frame behind.

I ushered Harry and Ember in and conjured an actual door into the portal. A few additional touches of magic had it hanging in the air and enchanted for indestructibility much like the Ogre Panties I'd found in The Gamer universe. It could only be opened by someone with magic, and any attempt to open it by anyone but myself, Ember, and Harry would trigger the force wall to activate. I really did need to ward the warehouse itself, but I needed to plan that out a bit more than the hastily-erected things I'd left on the Dursley home.

"Right. First thing's first. Harry, I need you sit over here for a moment. You've been injured here before and you have some nasty residue in that scar of yours, so I'm going to heal you."

He nodded reluctantly and sat on the couch I'd gestured to. As soon as he was seated I hit him with a strong exorcism technique. He cried out as his scar split open and violently expelled a wraith, which I smote with [Holy] just to be sure. The healing light I bathed him in afterward completely eliminated both the pain and the scar, and he fell onto his side unconscious. I could feel old broken bones adjusting to sit properly and other scars fading as the light did its work, then I concentrated on his eyes. If they could be fixed I would fix them.

[Quest Updated! Permanently defeat Voldemort!]

-

Harry woke to a gentle female voice, "Welcome back, Harry. Do you feel any pain?" He started a little when he realized he didn't. He felt better than he had in...well, as long as he remembered! He shook his head, an expression of awe on his face. If this was the afterlife he liked it! He didn't want to open his eyes for fear none of what he remembered was real. He was so comfortable, too. He wondered if this was what I real bed felt like, with the covers tucked up under his chin and the soft mattress underneath him.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Another voice sounded. This one was male, and matched the voice from his dream. The one from the child that had lectured the Dursleys and said he would care for Harry until they found him a new home. It wasn't exactly the way he'd dreamed it would happen for years, but it was close enough to his fantasy of escaping his horrible relatives that it brought tears to his eyes. He just wanted the fantasy to last a little longer. A delicate touch on his forehead finally provided the motivation to face reality, and what he saw was amazing. The children from earlier, probably only a little older than him, were standing next to the bed he was laying in. Everything was crystal clear, and his glasses were nowhere to be found.

"Who...who are you?" He whispered, still afraid that this would turn out to be a dream. The girl spoke again.

"I am Ember, and this is Wren. We came here to give you a better life. It will take time and care, but you will be free of those people. Wren is a minor god," the boy shot an annoyed look at the girl when she said this, and Harry just shook his head in wonder, "and I am his companion and servant." That got a snort from the boy, who spoke next.

"Ember is more a sister to me than anything else, and in these bodies we are physically both siblings to each other and distant cousins to you. Now, you didn't answer before: do you feel any pain? Any dizziness or disorientation? How is your vision?"

"I feel...great, really. And I can see so well now, it's like… you healed me?" Harry's voice was small and vulnerable. "You'll really take care of me? Find me a good home?"

"Of course we will! That's why we're here, after all," Ember said with a smile that mirrored the one on Wren's face. It was gentle and full of emotions he didn't think he'd ever seen directed his way before. They looked kind. Since he'd never been encouraged to develop any sort of fear or wariness toward strangers but also only rarely showed any form of kindness he sort of awkwardly sat up and waited. He had no idea what was going to happen next. Wren spoke first.

"Do you want something to eat, Harry? We have much to tell you and even more to teach you if we're to accomplish all our goals here."

Lacking anything better to do and being quite hungry really all of the time, Harry nodded. The childlike beings guided him to a dining room and presented him with water and hearty soup, then told him a fantastical tale of how he'd been born to a witch and a wizard during a civil war. The war had happened in a hidden world his aunt and uncle were trying to keep from him, and how he too was a wizard. Learning how and why his parents had died was shocking and horrifying by turns, but learning that the beings before him had come here in just such a way as to also qualify to fulfil the prophecy was a great relief.

The presence of the thing in his head up to now made him shudder, and he thanked Wren profusely for getting rid of it. When he was presented with a hand-mirror and saw that his scar was gone he cried tears of joy. He'd been bullied for everything under the sun, but the scar had been a frequent topic. When Ember told him they could replace it with an illusion if he wished he immediately told them it wasn't necessary, and got a little red in the face when he realized how assertive he'd been with his saviors.

After the meal he was guided back to the couch from earlier, and Wren started asking him questions about his life so far and how he was feeling. Ember actually turned into some sort of fox thing with lots of tails and snuggled into his side, which felt wonderful. She was warm and soft and didn't seem to mind if he pet her like one of Mrs. Figg's cats. When he asked what she was, Wren answered that she was a kitsune. An explanation of the mythical creatures and their varying temperaments followed, and Wren demonstrated his own kitsune form.

More serious discussion followed. Harry had been placed with the Dursleys in the mundane world by an old wizard who thought he knew better than anyone else. They couldn't say if he was evil or just neglectful, but the man had put Harry in danger and kept him there for most of his life. They cautioned that he would have to interact with the man, Albus Dumbledore, eventually and that he would hold some authority.

Harry decided he did not like this Dumbledore character at all. When Wren and Ember said that at least one of them would be with him until he went off to magic school like his parents and they'd follow him there for a little while too he was ecstatic. The cautioned that he shouldn't tell anyone about them except that they were friends, which required some additional explaining but sounded very nice to Harry. Whenever it was just Harry and Ember, Wren would be off ensuring that what could be done to set him free of his destiny before school started was taken care of. At the end of the conclusion Harry was presented with something he'd never had very man of: a choice. When asked if these arrangements were acceptable, Harry accepted with all of his heart and tears in his eyes.

-

Harry seemed to be taking things well, so I left him in Ember's hands to start learning [Holy] in case he ever met the dark wanker without us around. It was unlikely, but also a great way to start the boy on magic that didn't rely on a focus. I saw Vernon getting ready for work when I opened the door separating the Warehouse from the Dursley home, and nodded slightly to him as I closed it. There were several Hogwarts letters in the garbage, so I grabbed one. He shot me an angry look, and I wrapped myself in invisibility before teleporting to the alley that separated Diagon and the Leaky Cauldron. I had work to do.

Since nobody was around I fully dispelled the mark on my arm, ridding myself of the damn thing forever. I'd studied how the magic worked to be sure. Knowledge was power, especially with regard to the supernatural. I didn't want the damn thing on me anymore, though. It felt foul.

[Quest Updated! Remove the Dark Mark!]

Walking into the Cauldron in the form of a random white guy I remembered from the Gamer universe, I went over the the floo and tossed in some of the powder from the jar on top of the mantel. I paid the paltry fee indicated on the sign then stated my destination firmly and walked through the fire to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, where I purchased a case of butterbeer and walked out the door. Hogwarts stood tall in the distance, and I glanced around for a spot to transform. There weren't many people about but I didn't want to be seen approaching the school by chance.

A suitable location presented itself after a few minutes of wandering around the village, and I transformed into my arctic fox form and cloaked myself in silence and invisibility. Ever-Cleansed would hopefully keep me from alerting anything by smell, and the [Stealth] skill would do the rest. I headed for the school and the edge of the wards, then crossed them while watching for anything suspicious. There didn't seem to be any reaction, which from my limited knowledge meant the wards hadn't even detected me. My being in the form of an animal and having a false aura to match had worked. I didn't know at the time that the ward for detecting animagi was actually shut down entirely and had been since Professor McGonagall had achieved her own form.

[Shapeshift has gained a level!]

I darted into the forest, making sure to keep inside the wards, then tested my teleportation. There was no resistance, and I appeared exactly where I'd meant to: three feet ahead of where I'd started. If I could have I would have grinned. Instead I shut down my aura entirely and made my way invisibly toward the castle itself, looking for open windows and other points of entry. A test of my [Scry] skill indicated it, too worked inside the wards which honestly didn't surprise me. Divination wasn't an acknowledged field of magic here except for the crap Trelawney taught, and that was regarded as a joke. Scrying might never have been developed in this world, or mine might be so far from the norm as to be undetectable. Either way I got in through a first floor window and headed for the stairs.

An hour of wandering found me in the northern corridor on the seventh floor, and pacing back and forth three times revealed the Room of Requirement. I examined the door carefully and determined it led to an extra-dimensional space much like my warehouse. The enchantment looked like it had several different possible destinations, but the method of transport was simple enough that I should be able to reproduce it. It was a rudimentary portal, and I'd studied the theory quite extensively after I learned teleportation and developed my own variants of it.

Satisfied that I should be able to teleport out if I encountered any problems, I entered the Room of Lost Things and started searching for the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. I wouldn't be taking it quite yet, but knowing where it was and being familiar enough with it to scry on it easily could prove invaluable in the near future. Staying invisible, I teleported myself back into the corridor outside. It was a little odd jumping from one overlapping dimension to another, but not unpleasant. I nodded to myself and started scrying for my next objective.

There was a gargoyle guarding the door to the headmaster's office and quarters in both the books and the movie adaptations, but no other mention of gargoyles that I could remember. Not inside the building, at any rate. That made it unique, and the more information I had to start the spell the easier scrying would be. It took only a few moments to locate, and ten minutes to get there. I stared at the gargoyle (was it really a gargoyle if it wasn't a place for water to drain from?), trying to gauge where the space behind it started. It didn't matter a whole lot, since the Shift variation of teleport wouldn't move me into a space I couldn't occupy and I could keep trying until I got it right. I attempted to shift behind it several times before the spell took, and I found myself on a spiral staircase.

Running up the stairs brought me to a door, which I also shifted through. The office beyond was...well, it was ugly. There were shiny baubles everywhere, some of them moving, some making noises, and some of them blowing little puffs of smoke. The portraits appeared to be asleep and the headmaster was nowhere to be found. The bird perch near the window was likewise unoccupied, so I started sensing around for unusual energy. The room was full of magic, both wards and enchanted items, but I was looking for something that stood out: divine energy. If I found that or an unknown form of energy, I'd have probably located the Potter Invisibility Cloak or the Elder Wand.

I found two signatures, both of them divine and both carrying magic overtop. The easiest to access was a desk drawer, which I silenced. It had a ward over it that I very carefully smothered with my own power to suppress, hoping that it would keep it from reacting. Opening the drawer with telekinesis revealed the folded cloak I sought, and I felt a pulse in the ward that I stamped down before it could do anything more. I waited ten minutes to see if anyone would show up, but nothing happened so I continued.

Pulling the cloak out of the drawer was easy enough, but the extra spells on it looked worrisome. Time for yet another thing I'd never tried before, but knew in principle how to do from studying enchanting. I conjured a permanent copy of the cloak itself, then very carefully transferred the spells from the original to the copy. After that I laid down an invisibility enchantment on the cloak powered by my own divine power, but left it deliberately unfinished so it would fade over time. That would explain why it was nowhere near as powerful as the real cloak when Dumbledore next inspected it, and hopefully cover for any features it had that I wasn't aware of.

[Quest Updated! Obtain the Deathly Hallows!]

When I folded the new cloak, put it back in the drawer, and closed it, the damn ward finally stopped trying to activate. It looked like something that only triggered while the drawer was open, but the magic of this world wasn't identical to what I'd studied. In addition, if I'd dispelled then left or replaced the ward it was almost certain Dumbledore would have noticed the difference sooner or later. With the cloak securely in my inventory I snuck toward the source of the second divine energy source. Snoring caught my attention, and there through an open door was Dumbledore sleeping in a silly cap on a huge bed with the Elder Wand on the nightstand beside him. I knew my luck was good with a 400 stat, but this was ridiculous as hell. Normal humans had a ten, but still.

I repeated the process of conjuring a copy, moving the magical stuff, and enchanting the wand as a focus such that it would become less effective over time then switched them. Dumbledore snorted in his sleep and I froze, but a few minutes later he was snoring peacefully again and the Elder Wand was in my inventory along with the cloak. Was there anything else I needed to do here? Ah. Right. I'd almost forgotten.

[Stealth has gained a level!]  
[Quest Updated! Obtain the Deathly Hallows!]

Teleporting out onto the grounds and locating the castle's livestock took very little time. There was way more space allocated to maintaining a steady supply of food than was indicated in either the books or the movies. Putting a male chicken to sleep and turning it invisible was also easy. Finding the second floor girl's bathroom after teleporting back into the castle was not. I actually ended up finding the History of Magic classroom first, which I only knew because Binns was still lecturing to an empty hall. He was so out of it he didn't even know it was summer break!

Alright. Scrying it was then. Washu be praised but divination was useful. I knew I was looking for a sink that didn't work on the second floor of the castle, and that said sink was in a girls' bathroom and had a snake on it somewhere. It took me twelve seconds to locate it, and about a minute to trace a path from there back to my body so I knew which way to go.

'_This probably wasn't a good idea,_' I thought to myself as I descended the stairs into the Chamber of Secrets. '_Quirrelmort might check on the basilisk when he gets here. Maybe I should just familiarize myself with the area and leave?_' I continued regardless. There hadn't been any warding on the entrance topside, which was probably why nobody had ever found it. Things like that tend to stick out when people are looking for secret entrances. The enchantment on the tap and the stones that reformed to form the entrance had been incredibly subtle and masked in a way I hadn't seen before, but was definitely going to integrate into future wards in addition to my own method. The second door into the Chamber **was** warded, and it would take me a while to figure out what all of it did.

It took a few tries, but I shifted through the wall next to the door at an angle instead of trying to open it. The chamber beyond was very dark, so dark in fact that even my vastly expanded sense were having trouble discerning physical details. I had landmarks in the form of the various enchanted torches and secret tunnels about the place, but I very much wanted to be able to actually see. I took a chance and pushed a little energy into forming a ball of light in the center of the room, which lit everything up in eerie detail. God that statue was hideous. Seeing no one about (not that I'd expected anyone) and no basilisk in the immediate vicinity I turned back to human form and started inspecting the bits of magic left around. I noted and made sure to keep track of the soft hissing in the background. It didn't sound like words, and was rhythmic like the breathing of some great beast in sleep. I was pretty sure that's exactly what it was.

I'd known approximately what Voldemort's magic felt like from exorcising Harry's scar, and there were faint traces of it here even years after he'd last visited. Unless of course Quirrel was already possessed and he'd been down here more recently. They were very faint, but Voldemort was also supposed to be very weak at this point. Either he hadn't been down here in awhile or he was weak enough that he might not be able to protect his host from the basilisk. I could have been wrong, but I was growing more confident in my mission.

I ended up finding a bunch of old books under wards made from the same magic I'd felt on the torches, secret doors, and even the statue. Since I'd expanded my inventory power quite a bit, I stuck the entire bookshelf in it and decided to sort it out later. Some daggers that hadn't rusted or rotted away after however many years they'd been down here went in the inventory too, as did several magical trinkets I didn't bother to study and the enchanted torches. When I left only the mouldering furniture and other rotted debris remained in the room. The other secret passageways looked like they led back up into the school, so I left them alone and prepared to fight...er...face the basilisk. This wouldn't be a fight at all if I could manage it.

"_Speak to my Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four!_" I hissed at the statue, then hurriedly moved to the side. The rhythmic hissing had paused for a moment, then sped up.

"_Master?_" I heard from the statue's mouth as it opened. "_Where are you? It has been so long,_" the voice continued. Something was coming from the tunnel, and on an impulse I grabbed a side of beef from my inventory and chucked it into the tunnel with telekinesis. I didn't know snakes could make delighted squeals, and suspected it might have been part of the whole parseltongue deal. "_You brought food!_" The voice continued before an odd sort of elongated slurping crunch noise started up. I'd never heard a giant snake eat before, and it was kind of making me uncomfortable.

I could actually feel the damn thing with [Mystical Energy (Sense)] now that I was concentrating on it. I hadn't made a habit of keeping active focus on it for a while since the passive senses and line-of-sight effect were usually enough. The more powerful the energy the farther away I could sense it, with solid objects diminishing the range a touch and dimensional borders like those of my Instant Dungeons diminishing it by a whole lot. The snake I could sense now was way longer than sixty feet. Closer to two hundred, probably. I checked around for another one but didn't find anything. Time to roll the dice again.

"_I am not your master, but I have come to check on you. Salazar died long ago and his heir was defeated nearly a decade ago._" The snake hissed in alarm.

"_A new Speaker comes with news? I knew master Salazar was dead, but to hear that Master Tom is gone as well? Does that mean I am to sleep once more?_" It asked, not bothering to come out of the statue. I was grateful for that. Supposedly parselmouths were immune to the death gaze of a basilisk, but I didn't want to put that to the test.

"_Master Tom is not completely gone, but he might as well be. His soul and with it his mind is broken,_" I replied to the snake.

"_He is not gone? You said he was defeated. Explain the situation to me, caretaker,_" it hissed back, sounding annoyed. I hadn't known emotions carried over in this form of communication either until this conversation.

"_Tom split his soul when he had you kill the girl above. That started him down the path to his own destruction, and now the fool has split it so many times it's falling apart on its own. No application of soul magic known will save him now, so while he is not gone he is effectively dead._" I really hoped this came out without me having to fight a giant snake with death-laser eyes. Well not really lasers, I guessed. Still scary. The snake took some time to reply.

"_Master Salazar spoke to me of this magic once. He considered using it for himself at one time, before he discovered the consequences of making even one anchor. In the end he decided one life was enough, and anyone fool enough to do such a thing was not worth the blood in their veins. Tom was very different the last time we spoke. I have not seen him in many years, and only had vermin to eat. You have fed me, and I have felt the truth in your words. I cannot sense you with my magic, but I can feel you through the stone and taste your heat. Would you meet with me, speaker?_"

Ok. That was really good or really bad.

"_Will you promise not to kill or eat me? I'm here to make sure the school is safe and that includes taking care of you. I was under the impression Salazar left you as a guardian._"

"_I so swear, speaker. My gaze would not affect you regardless, but Master Salazar taught me to control it such that I would not harm the students if I were needed._"

There was a faint rumble as a giant crested head poked its way out of the mouth of the statue. I stuffed the chicken into my inventory, not even thinking about the fact I'd never put anything alive in there before. The great beast turned to look at me, yellow eyes glowing in the dim light cast by my spell, and descended to coil itself with its head resting on its body to watch me. Gamer's Mind was the only thing keeping me from soiling myself.

"_Greetings, great one. I know not your name, only your legend. Will you tell me?_" I asked, my voice shaking a bit. The reply actually had overtones of amusement to it.

"_Master Salazar named me Jörmungandr when I hatched, but often shortened it to Gandr when we spoke. You may call me that if you wish._"

I nodded slowly, still not daring to take my eyes off the massive snake that was named after the World Serpent of Norse mythology. Knowing it would probably smell the bird from earlier I offered an explanation and hoped it didn't kill me.

"_Would the crow have even worked if I needed to retreat? I thought it might cause you pain enough to allow my escape if we could not speak peaceably._" I was answered by the snake equivalent of laughter, which hit my ears as hissing but hit my brain as hysterical laughter.

"_That rumor persists even now? Salazar had me writhe about as a joke when I was startled by the noise ages ago. No, Speaker: if you had tried to use it against me I simply would have eaten it. And maybe you, depending on my mood. You've fed me though, and you seem honest enough. You really are here to protect the students, but there was some falsehood there too. Why else are you here?_" Well, I was either really fucked or about to make a new friend.

"_Several reasons. Tom left one of his soul shards here, but I expect him to be back at the school this coming year so I checked on it and left it be. I also needed some things from the Headmaster, who is not doing a very good job at protecting one student in particular. And there were a few threats to address._" I'd never seen a snake nod until that moment.

"_Whatever you took from the headmaster is not my concern unless it threatens the safety of the school and her students. Assuming I was one of these threats, what are the others? Telling me will allow me to perform my duties more easily, after all._" That last bit sounded a bit threatening, actually.

"_The forest is full of acromantula after a student foolishly brough one here fifty years ago and brought it a mate some time after that. They are a threat to the students, and could be rallied to attack the castle itself if desperate enough for food. They bleed the forest dry, causing trouble of centaur and unicorn alike. When Tom returns to the castle in September he will take the form of a possessing wraith, and likely attack the denizens of the forests, the students, and the unicorns at the very least. He seeks something the headmaster plans to store here, as bait or to keep it from him I do not know._" Oh, that was definitely an angry hiss.

"_Acromantula and a wraith? On school grounds!? I will cleanse the spiders and sate my hunger for many months if they are not smart enough to flee. What of the wraith? Can you keep it from the school or destroy it?_"

"_I can do one or the other, but keeping it from the school is far more difficult than destroying it when it arrives. I cannot be sure I'll succeed, and if I do not it will come back again and again until someone is able to destroy it._"

"_I do not like this, Speaker. If you fail to keep it from here I will tolerate it for only a very short time, and only so long as it does not hurt the students. You __**will **__destroy the abomination before that happens, or we will have words. Very, very short ones. Since Tom has destroyed himself in a mad quest for immortality I have no master but my duty to the school now. I will no longer obey him or any other Speaker now that the line of Salazar is effectively dead. You may visit me here and be safe, so long as you do not fail in your task. And bring food!_" The snake hissed the last as it turned to head back into the statue. A muffled hiss of "close" caused the corridor to close behind it.

[Quest Updated! Eliminate dangerous elements around the school!]

I idly wondered how the terrifying snake thing was going to get out to the forest, then decided I didn't care. I was alive! Bless Washu and my amazing luck score, I was alive! I nearly bent knee and kissed the floor, but realized the floor was disgusting. Now what was I going to do? If I didn't want to piss off the huge murder-noodle I needed to put forth my best effort at eliminating Voldy before he even made it to the school. I also needed to have a look at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to see if I could find the source of the curse, but that might resolve itself when the caster died. After I left I needed to send a letter to Remus Lupin to try and get him back in the country and capture Pettigrew to present as evidence that Black was innocent. Well, my best bet for eliminating Voldy right now was to grab the diadem and contact the goblins. If they were at all reasonable they could at least be paid to help. I teleported back to the Room of Lost Things, located the diadem, conjured a lead box, stuffed the damn thing in the box and then my inventory, and looked around speculatively.

When I left the Room of Lost Things was empty. Once again in the form of random white guy #38, I teleported to the entrance to Diagon and let myself in. Gringotts was the most visible building in the entire Alley, so it was easy to find. I approached one of the guards and and asked if I could speak with someone before entering. He gave me a sneer and motioned for someone inside, who left at a quick walk. A few minutes later he returned with an extra guard, this one dressed a bit more fancifully than the door guards.

"What the hell do you want, wizard? And why the fuck didn't you bring it to a teller?"

People were looking at us now, which wasn't great. I answered quietly, not whispering but keeping my voice very low.

"I would ask before bringing a dark artifact into foreign territory, and also inquire if you could help me locate another like it I believe is already within your walls."

The guard looked at me in shock, probably not expecting courtesy of any kind from any wizard let alone one he'd just yelled at in public. He studied me for a moment, then gestured for me to follow. He led me across the lobby and down a hallway with a plethora of minecart rails leading off into the darkness, then knocked on a door near the end opposite the carts. A barked word in a language I was unfamiliar with soon followed, and the guard lead me into the room.

"Guard-Captain, why have you brought a human to my office?" Asked the goblin behind the desk patiently, speaking in English for my benefit.

"This human brings a dark artifact, and claims another like it may reside within our walls. He refused to bring the thing into the lobby and instead had a guard summon me to speak with him. If he speaks the truth, we may be able to seize the offending vault. If he lies…" They both grinned at me wickedly. I'd really been hoping these were the nice goblins from fanfiction, not the horrible mixed stereotype implied in the original books. It was starting to look like they might fit the stereotype more closely, but I was going to stay polite if at all possible.

"Do I have permission to retrieve the artifact then? It is stored in a lead box."

The goblin at the desk nodded impatiently and made a "get on with it" motion. I reached into my conjured robe and retrieved the box from my inventory, then placed it on the desk.

"It is enchanted to compel those who view it, but a strong mind can resist. It should be obvious, but please do not put it on." The goblin snorted and gave me a look that indicated he thought me mentally deficient. Then he opened the box. He flinched back, then reached forward and gingerly closed the box again.

"You believe there is one of these here? In our bank, on or under our land?" He asked slowly.

"Yes. I can cleanse such items, but to come here without proof of their existence and a sample of what to look for would have been more foolish than risking your wrath by bringing such a thing here in the first place."

His gaze turned to me and his eyes gleamed. "You can cleanse these? Without destroying the item? What of the magic?"

"I can exorcise the spirit and wash away the dark magic that holds it there. The other enchantments may be damaged, but the item shouldn't be," I replied.

"Then I think we can do business, sir. And we have quite a lot of business to discuss if what you say is true."

-

I'd arrived at the bank just as businesses were starting to open up in Diagon. I just before lunch with a pair of cleansed artifacts and vault full of gold in my name. It would have been terribly rude and might have gotten me hacked into pieces if I'd just taken the gold they paid me for exorcising the horde of egyptian horcruxes they had stored since they were made from things too valuable to simply destroy. Instead it was safe in a Gringotts vault, and they'd determined we were even now. They also said I should check back in a year or so to see if they had anything else they needed my services for. Either way I made sure the vault was set up to go to Harry Potter if I died or didn't contact them for ten years.

[Holy has gained a level!]  
[Quest Updated! Permanently defeat Voldemort!]


	18. Chapter 18

My business with Gringotts complete and a shiny new vault key in my inventory, I made my way down to Knocturn Alley. I was only ambushed twice, and got a little practice swatting spells away with the backs of my gloves. Since they were willing to attack me I also left them strung up in nothing but their underwear and acquired some cash, clothing, and dark artifacts. I used [observe] on each one to see what it did but the only remotely interesting thing was a sacrificial dagger meant for use in ritual magic.

Borgin and Burke's was a quaint little store full of horrible awful things. And one vanishing cabinet. I haggled the clerk down to what I thought was a reasonable price for an unmatched cabinet that apparently didn't even work. It turned out fifty galleons was worth a little under $370. With that paid for and the cabinet shrunken in my pocket, I asked if he'd be interested in some trinkets I'd just acquired. I walked out with more money than I'd had when I entered, and casually made my way back to the apparition point and took a moment to gather information.

Knowing what you're looking for when scrying is basically the only thing you really need with enough time and power. The magic I was using was not of this world, and was part psionics at this point too. I found a dilapidated shack just outside Little Hangleton with a snake nailed to the door, then scouted a place a good distance away from the nasty looking wards and under cover to teleport in. I really did love [Mystical Energy (Sense)].

The shack itself took about two hours to break into, since I was systematically destroying the wards and other magic as I went. The inside was disgusting, full of spiders and other creepy-crawlies, and so dusty every step kicked up a cloud. The twisted soul energy inside led me straight to the floorboard underneath which the ring horcrux was hidden, but I didn't bother pulling up the board just yet. I gathered myself, then launched a wave of [Holy] energy through the ground in the most powerful exorcism I could perform. It turned out to be overkill, and actually washed away the dark enchantments on the ring itself too. I had intended to do that separately, but it wasn't a problem. Prying up the floorboard and opening the box underneath, I took the ring and conjured a permanent copy to replace it.

[Quest Updated! Permanently defeat Voldemort!]  
[Quest Complete! Obtain the Deathly Hallows!]  
[You've gained a level!]

After putting the box back and the floorboard back in place I left, a little aerokinesis smoothing out the dust to eliminate my footprints. The wards I didn't bother trying to reset - they were gone and they would stay gone. Now where was the graveyard from here? And the nearest roadkill? Scrying made finding both easier, and a little bit of applied fire magic turned the roadkill into a skeleton. It was here that I ran into a problem. I'd never transfigured anything except myself before. I knew the theory of course, from multiple worlds now in fact. I'd see if I could cheat my way through it using the Gamer's Skills when we got Tom Riddle Senior's grave. It worked, but it took a while. Grave robbing and desecration complete, we left the place with a deer skeleton changed to match what we'd taken. I'd grown grass over the freshly-disturbed plot with Druidic magic.

I still had a few hours until I needed to be back at the Dursleys'. I still needed the diary and the locket, and for those I'd need access to the houses of Malfoy and Black. I knew only a bit about each, but there was someone who could give me more information and needed to be captured anyway. I scryed for the Burrow of Ottery St. Catchpole, home of the Weasleys and hiding place of Peter Pettigrew the betrayer. With that much information, it only took ten minutes to find it and another two to find a place to teleport in.

Percy Weasley's rat went missing from the Weasley home on July 28th and was presumed to have died or escaped. There was nothing to indicate otherwise.

[Stealth has gained a level!]

-

I whistled happily, carrying an indestructible cage which contained an unconscious rat-man. I slipped into the DMLE under the guise of random white guy #39 (I was saving #38 as my legitimate adult identity) and left Pettigrew's cage with a long and detailed note including how the previous administration had thrown Sirius Black under the bus without even questioning him, and that Peter Pettigrew was the real secret keeper. I signed it Cassandra after the famous oracle/seer and added a postscript about Barty Crouch Junior's continued existence and circumstances. Identical notes were left in the Minister's inbox and at the Daily Prophet. Job done, I popped over to the edge of the Malfoy property in Wiltshire. Peter's mind had been just full of useful information.

Sneaking into the house was easy. As I had no aura the wards could only detect my physical presence, and they weren't meant to do anything about non-living things (aside from the few paranoid warders who also protected against high-speed projectiles, anyway). I strolled up to the closest open window invisibly, hopped in, and roamed around until I found the drawing room. It took me some time sitting there to unravel the wards over the secret door and in the room below, but when I finished I shifted down into a chamber full of goodies and blackmail material. After I found the diary and threw it in a lead box to be sure, I put everything in my inventory and teleported directly to the alley used for apparition to the Black property.

Dropping my invisibility and walking casually, I approached the door and knocked firmly. I had one final copy of the note I'd given to the DMLE, the Minister, and the newspaper, and I planned to hand-deliver it. An annoyed house elf opened the door, and I addressed him politely.

"Good evening. I have a missive for your master Arcturus Black and business with the house as well. Could you deliver the message and ask if he'll meet with me?"

Kreacher, the grumpy little bastard, snatched the note from my hands and slammed the door in my face. I waited. Ten minutes later he was back to escort me inside, but was muttering to himself about his master's health and not receiving visitors the entire time. Arcturus was almost as rude as the house-elf, but that was understandable given he looked to be on death's door. When he asked me why I'd come in person and who Cassandra was, I explained that I was hired because I was an exceptional healer and there was some additional work that needed to be done.

Black looked at me warily, but apparently decided he had nothing left to lose. He still ordered Kreacher to kill me if I hurt him, though. A wave of pearlescent silver light washed over him, looking as if it came from the tip of my wand for the sake of not having to answer any more questions than necessary, and the man's pallid skin took on a much more healthy color. Strength returned to his limbs, and his magic flared a bit as it was relieved of the burden of keeping the man alive. The discussion that followed netted a confession of Regulus's last wish from Kreacher and an additional item for me to cleanse. They wouldn't let me have it until I swore on my magic to either cleanse it completely or destroy it, but I did get the locket.

Arcturus watched me leave, fingering the note I'd delivered thoughtfully. With law enforcement, the Minister, the media, and a powerful lord invested in the future of his family all aware of his plight Sirius should be out soon. Given the general stupidity of wizards, I wasn't counting on it. I had one more stop to make tonight: Azkaban. The same scry and teleport trick worked for me again, but this time I made sure I was both in animal form and invisible before I teleported. I had to fly over the wall of the fortress to reach the front door, then wait for an auror to come out on break before I could get in. From there it was fairly simple to find the warden's office and start looking through records. It took me a while, and I had to duck into the corner a few times, but I found both the prisoner records themselves and the record of dementor activity.

Either I was in luck or they really didn't go out all that much: all the dementors were currently in the prison itself. I snatched a few of the anti-dementor amulets the aurors usually wore and made my way up into the prison proper. It was said that dementors ate happy thoughts but were repelled by the same thing in the form of patroni. I wasn't sure about that, but I knew they liked souls. I'd use that when I was done here. Avoiding the whole **two** aurors on patrol was easy, and a few conjured shards of ice moving at near the speed of sound found their way into the foreheads of the various Death Eaters I passed. Even if it didn't kill them, wizarding Britain was woefully inadequate at healing brain damage. By hitting them in the forehead and embedding a projectile into the prefrontal cortex I'd have destroyed their ability to reason and form short-term memories. The conjurations weren't even permanent, so the ice wouldn't have a chance to melt before it faded away.

When I reached Black's cell I warded it with [Holy] and a little bit of pyrokinesis to ward off the cold, anchored it so the ward would collapse if the man himself left, and cast a healing spell on the dog that was starting to peek out from under a half-rotted blanket. He would be fine for now. Just in case I also tossed in one of the anti-dementor amulets and anchored his soul to his body, making him theoretically immune to instant death effects and the dementor's kiss. Now it was time to start the big show. I went up another level and started pumping out an aura of pure soul energy. Horrible screeching rose pretty much everywhere in the prison at once, and I could feel the dark presence of each dementor immediately turn in my direction. I continued to ascend until I reached the highest part of the prison, then found a spot with only one exit and turned to wait.

The first dementor showed up only a few seconds after, and I dropped a magical barrier between us. Since integrating my powers from the Pokéverse my force walls had evolved to be much more flexible, the skill itself even changing from force wall to [Barrier]. As more and more dementors piled up against the wall and the air grew colder around me, I mused that Gamer's Mind really was wonderful for this sort of thing. I started counting. The aurors in the levels below felt like they'd barricaded themselves in the warden's office, which was probably a good idea. When the last of the dementors entered the struggling mass in the corridor, I dropped the wall and concentrated hard on drawing up as much [Holy] power as I could as quickly as possible.

The horde surged toward me, eager to devour my soul. A brilliant point of blinding light formed in front of me. The first dementor to approach disintegrated under the power of it, and while the rest flinched back it was far too late. My eyes opened, shining with the same light as the impossible power before me, and it exploded down the corridor and out the windows. Every dementor in Britain perished, and I teleported back to the Dursley residence to eat dinner with Harry and Ember. I thought I'd accomplished a lot for only one week in the Potterverse, and cleansed the remaining horcruxes in celebration.

[Barrier has gained a level!]  
[Holy has gained a level!]  
[Holy (Smite) has gained a level!]  
[You've gained a level!]

-

Dinner with Harry and Ember was fantastic. Ember had picked up [Tutor] while teaching him, which was great since I still had a few things to do before I could teach him myself. Harry told us about the mysterious letters that had started arriving for him, and we assured him he would get one. Before we sat Harry down to play with some conjured toys I bathed him in [Holy] light again to ensure he continued to become as healthy as possible. I had very little in the way of knowledge regarding reversing prolonged malnutrition, so this would have to do until I could figure out a better way. Guinevere had taken to spiking the boy's food with her tears when she wasn't out and about. I wasn't quite sure how her flame teleportation worked yet but I'd started integrating parts of it into my own since it was more efficient in some ways.

With Harry distracted I removed the last of Ember's dark mark, then listened patiently as Ember explained the basics of occlumency to me. We'd have to get a book on legilimency to actually test her defenses, and I'd have to temporarily turn off Gamer's Mind to test mine in a defensive capacity. I knew a lot of what she was talking about already, but the magicals of this world had taken a different approach to defending the mind and I wanted to learn it. Since we couldn't spend all day working without going stir-crazy, or at least Ember couldn't, we stopped to play around a bit in our ninetails/kitsune forms before she and Harry went off to bed.

[Quest Complete! Remove the Dark Mark!]

I shifted to adult form and cleaned up the home quickly, making as little sound as possible so as not to disturb the sleeping occupants. I'd need to secure the area and go out again tonight, and there were some skill books I'd forgotten to read from the last Jump that I wanted to get copied. Since I was no longer in a place where such things were easily obtainable I didn't want to hire anyone to do it, which meant either hand-copying them or practicing my copy trick with [Conjuration] a whole lot. It'd been useful so far, but I didn't think it would handle such complex objects as books without my knowing the entire text at my current skill level. With the house clean I teleported to the local part invisibly, then sat down to scry for my next target: Remus John Lupin, werewolf, Moony of the Marauders.

When I found him he looked like shit. I'd forgotten that yesterday was the full moon and today it was waning but still almost full. I didn't want to just drop in on him, but he clearly needed healing. I sat for a moment watching the man in contemplation before I came upon a solution. I'd yet to find a limit to the distance at which I could telepathically communicate with someone, and I could literally see the man. I tried it, and despite his apparent ill health and fatigue the man jumped to his feet with his wand out, eyes scanning the worn-down room.

"_Remus John Lupin?_"

I waited until he seemed to have calmed a bit, then tried again to much the same result.

"_Remus Lupin?_"

I didn't wait this time. I was getting a little impatient.

"_Would you stop that? I'm not going to hurt you and I seriously doubt you could hurt me._"

"Who are you? Where are you? And what do you want with me?"

_"I am called Wren, and I am currently caring for Harry Potter after finding him abused by the relatives Dumbledore left him with. I want you to come and help me with that._" Remus let loose a very wolfish growl at the mention of Harry being abused, and didn't seem to notice or care that I'd mentioned Dumbledore.

"_I can come to you if you'd like. We can speak face-to-face, and I can help you recover._" Remus wheeled around again, growling more loudly this time.

"Where the hell ARE YOU!? I can't see you, I can't hear where you are, and I can't smell you!"

"_I told you Mr. Lupin, I am currently with Harry Potter. To be honest I have no idea where __**you**__ are, only that I can find you with magic and speak to you. I can...apparate would be the closest term...to your location then bring you back if you wish. You would be able to see Harry and question me all you like._"

"Very well. Show yourself," he replied waspishly. I wasn't sure how much of his anger was because of my approach and how much could be attributed to his being a werewolf the day after the full moon, but I teleported in about ten feet away from him with a full-body shield raised. He sensed me the moment I appeared in the room and whirled around with his wand raised. I raised my gloved but empty hands in the air, hoping to show myself in a less threatening light. He studied me carefully for a time, and finally spoke with a bit less hostility.

"Wren, was it? You can take me to Harry? I can see the cub? And what was that about helping me recover? I've never heard of a treatment to alleviate the symptoms of what I'm going through, and you shouldn't even know about it unless you've been spying on me before tonight." Ok, so only a little bit less hostility. Convincing him to let me heal him was less difficult than I thought it would be, but he did keep his wand on me the entire time and actually tried to hex me when I laid a hand on his shoulder. He was momentarily confused that it didn't affect me at all, then fell back into his chair in shock when [Holy] and [Remove Curse] rolled through him in the next moment. He continued to stare as I channeled [Holy] into his body at a distance, no wand in hand, and his weariness was washed away along with all of the old aches, pains, and scars on his body. I was getting better at this.

[Quest Complete! Cure Remus Lupin!]

"What the fuck was that!?" He shouted. There was no anger this time, only wonder and a bit of fear. He looked down at himself curiously, and began to notice the changes. I was pretty sure he'd forgotten I was even there, and this was confirmed when he started to strip down to find out if the rest of his scars were missing. I politely looked away, turning my back on him as a sign of trust but keeping the shield activated and close to my body. It was probably ten minutes later when a very small-sounding Remus Lupin's voice sounded again from behind me.

"What...what are you? What did you do?"

I glanced back to ensure he was again clothed, then turned. Not wanting to play the "I'm a god" card (it still felt wrong), I skipped over his first question. Eyeing him carefully with [Mystical Energy (Sense)] to check the after-effects of the cleansing I spoke carefully.

"I cured you, Remus Lupin. Greyback's curse is gone. Now I would like to take you to see your honorary nephew. There is much left to do, but time remains. In the morning you can have another healer confirm what I've told you. Will you come with me?"

Remus numbly shook his head and sat back down. It would be annoying if he didn't believe me, but I still had a few cards I could play. He seemed to be an animagus now, which meant I'd only washed away the cursed part of the magic. If he had studied with the other Marauders or had any sort of intuitive understanding of the process I might be able to convince him to transform to wolf form and back again. I could also come back after he'd checked with a healer. He surprised me by turning his own wand on himself after a few minutes and muttering a spell, "lupinotuum pectinem deprehendere."

Whatever the spell told him he twitched at the results and looked back at me with….oh crap. Was that worship? My divine energy flared just a tiny bit higher and I internally groaned. Even if it wasn't formal worship, the gratitude and belief in my power were fueling my growing divinity. It was so very slow, but it was there. I decided to try and move the conversation along rather than let him stare at me like that forever.

"Congratulations Mister Lupin, you are now a wolf animagus. Would you like to come and see Harry Potter now? He's asleep, but you'll be able to speak properly in the morning."

Remus just nodded dumbly, and I barely resisted rolling my eyes before I enveloped us both in a teleport back to my home in the Cosmic Warehouse. It was getting to the point where I barely noticed passing into or out of the sub-dimension with all the practice I was getting. Ember was at the dining room table studying the Standard Book of Spells Grade One when we arrived. We'd bought extra copies so we could absorb them, but she still wanted to read over and memorize the text. I guided Remus to the room we had Harry staying in, then motioned for him to be quiet before opening the door. Guinevere landed lightly on my shoulder, but Remus didn't even seem to notice.

Inhaling slowly and deeply as he approached the boy, Remus Lupin shook with emotion. He placed a gentle hand on the sleeping boy's head and simply stared. This was probably some deeply emotional moment. I was sure it would be if I were in Lupin's place. I wasn't going to leave them unattended though. There was a faint possibility that Lupin could choose to try and run with Harry. He didn't know he wasn't completely in the real world at the moment, so he might try to apparate them both away. It would be foolish in the extreme, but he could try. I let my mind expand a bit, testing the emotions in the room. There was a lot of regret and affection, but nothing to support my paranoia. With a sigh I connected to the man telepathically.

"_Mr. Lupin, we should let him sleep. I can show you to a room and you can talk in the morning. He knows almost nothing about his parents, and we regretfully cannot help him there. I'm sure he would love to hear about them while you become acquainted._"

Remus nodded and followed me out of the room, eyeing the phoenix on my shoulder speculatively. He refused my offer of food or drink, but accepted the use of the third guest room for the night. I notified Ember that our guests had both retired for the evening and I was going out into the rest of the warehouse to train and look over my inventory. I had quite a few things to think about, and I could do that while I worked. I opened up my inventory and ran a search for books, then blinked in shock.

"That cannot be right. I can't be that stupidly broken."

I reached into my inventory and pulled out skill books for Mokuton/Plant Manipulation, Wood Clone, Sealing for Beginners, Chakra Control Techniques, Gunsmithing, and Copy. My eye twitched. These were more valuable than...I couldn't really come up with a comparison. It would be criminal to simply absorb them without copying them first. My mind immediately went back to one of the benefits I got from having such a high intelligence and I grinned a little maniacally. I had eidetic memory. If I took some time I could memorize each page then conjure or manually recreate them later. I sat down to read the skill books I'd picked up from Anime Attack.


	19. Chapter 19

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div class="bbWrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;"Monday July 29th of 1991 dawned with me abusing the crap out of the fact that calligraphy appeared to be covered by my [Craft] skill. I'd already made a copy of Chakra Control Techniques and absorbed it, so when Harry came in bright and early the next morning he found me with a bunch of pieces of paper, rocks, and assorted inventory junk sticking to my body. Some of it was rotating, some of it was still, and some of it was bobbing up and down regularly. [Mystical Energy (Mastery)] covered chakra control itself, but hadn't given me the actual techniques for leaf-floating/sticking, wall-walking, and water-walking. Now I knew them and I was going to abuse the absolute crap out of an easy way to level that skill the rest of the way to 100. It was already amazing, and I was looking forward to learning whether it would evolve into something better or my MP use would simply drop to zero no matter the skill. Either way would be amazing and stupidly broken. I was a god-moding prick and I span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"liked style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /When Harry started cooking breakfast I glanced at him and asked if he wanted any help, telling him I'd be more than happy to make him something, but he refused. The refrigerator was stocked mostly with meat, fruit, and vegetables, but we had some dried beans and other foodstuffs along with the oils and seasonings needed for a lot of our favorite dishes. How the kid made pancakes I wasn't sure, since I'd been busily finishing up another copy of Chakra Control Techniques. If I got fast enough with crafting I should be able to make one in just a few seconds from raw materials, but I got more experience for the skill by actually performing the crafting activity than I did invoking the skill and having an end-product pop out. This also made my penmanship better, which was oddly style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Harry set a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of me and I drooled a little, then put away my training aids. I may not have to eat anymore thanks to my Gamer abilities, but span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"BACON/span! Everyone liked bacon (or they were in denial)! I did my best to savor it, but it still disappeared inside two minutes. The pancakes I took more time with, eating them without syrup as I wrote. When I finished I took the dishes from Harry and washed them myself. Harry didn't seem to mind, but was still a bit confused. When Remus walked in things became slightly awkward. I was a child, and I'd met him as an adult. He clearly recognized me since I hadn't bothered to assume different features. Harry was confused about how I could be an adult, and I explained that Ember and I were actually fairly old and only here to style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Harry himself seemed to take it at face value, but Remus was once again wary. I ignored his suspicion and introduced the two, telling Harry that Remus was a friend of his parents that hadn't been able to contact him until now and would be looking after him. Remus's look indicated we'd be having words later, but he would definitely keep an eye on Harry. I handed him Harry's now cleaned and repaired Hogwarts letter, they started bonding, and I went over my plans and my quest log. Guinevere landed on my shoulder and started grooming my hair, even though it was already clean. I didn't notice Remus style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I had all the pieces necessary to permanently put Voldy in the ground except for the main soul, I'd started on getting Sirius out of prison and improved the conditions there quite a bit, I'd killed the marked Death Eaters in Azkaban to deny the dark wanker resources if he managed to escape, I'd replaced the bones of his father so he couldn't use the ritual he had in the books to gain a body...what did I have left? I knew where Quirrel was going to be on July 31st, which was Wednesday. I could finish Voldy then, and maybe grab the philosopher's stone from Hagrid on the same day if I hadn't butterflied either event style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /When Quirrel failed to be available for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position I could have Remus close by and offer his services, thus completing that quest. If the curse on the position didn't go away when I killed Voldy for good, I could track it to its source by watching the magic interact with Lupin and break it from there. The only quests left after that would be Spite Ron Weasley, Neutralize as Many Death Eaters as Possible, and Eliminate Dangerous Elements Around the School. Ron Weasley could be snubbed and directed away from Harry to fulfil that quest, and that would take care of itself if I could convince Harry and Hermione to come with me and Ember to style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The only remaining Death Eater mentioned by name in the quest for them was Lucius Malfoy. That meant that Pettigrew and Crouch Junior were no longer a problem, as they'd been marked completed in the quest journal. I should probably check the paper and see what was going on, since Free Sirius Black was still marked in-progress. As for dangerous elements around the school...the acromantula and basilisk were both marked complete, but the philosopher's stone obstacle course and Dumbledore himself were not. I wondered why Snape wasn't on the list, and decided I'd find out when it came time to start school. Either way I had a long talk with Remus that involved some showing off and a lot of pleading. I'm not sure how much he believed. Sirius being innocent, me and Ember being interdimensional travelers, the whole horcrux issue… It was a lot to take in, after all. It didn't really matter if he believed me though, as long as he cared for Harry and accepted Black in the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /What could I take care of today, then? I'd definitely need to check the Daily Prophet and pay a visit to Lucius Malfoy. He was an unrepentant murderer at the very least and hadn't really redeemed himself in the books, but I didn't want to kill him if I could avoid it. I could try to beggar him, thus denying resources to his idiot child as well. Narcissa would suffer from that, but she was also complicit in his crimes from the first war. Actually, thieving was a remarkably good idea. The wards at Hogwarts hadn't even registered my presence, and if I hit all the wealthy families I knew to be affiliated with the Death Eaters from the books it would shift the entire political landscape. Fudge and Umbridge needed to go somehow too, but Fudge would fall without Malfoy and I knew I'd picked up blackmail material on the Minister and his undersecretary when I'd first visited the Malfoy estate. I did still need more books, and I could visit the thrift-store looking thing I'd seen when I was wandering around style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /It turned out I had to head back to Knockturn to find anything decent on legilimency, and the junk shop hadn't had the pensieve I was looking for. I'd have to scry for a while and get ridiculously lucky if what the proprietor had said about their rarity was true. At least my [Divination] skill was getting a workout. I found a quiet place to sit at Fortescue's and ordered a milkshake, then got down to business. Scrying when you had very little information turned out to be just as tedious as I thought it'd be. I actually pulled out a book and started reading it while the failure pop-ups continued to appear and disappear rapidly. I probably sat there for two hours doing nothing but scrying and reading, and didn't get a damn thing that looked usable. The Ministry apparently had a few, Dumbledore had one, and the next closest thing I got was in style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /While I could have easily gone to France, I didn't know the language and didn't want to just steal the damn thing from someone who hadn't done anything to deserve it. I went and bought some exotic fabrics instead. Dragonhide sounded like a wonderful thing to make gear style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /When I returned to the Warehouse it was to find Remus tutoring Harry and Ember in basic wand movements. I decided to join in, and a productive day was had by all. Remus himself accepted room and board in exchange for tutoring and keeping an eye on Harry, which seemed to include making sure neither me nor Ember did anything that might hurt the boy. I didn't mention Black to him, and for some reason he just gave me and Ember both odd looks when I asked if he still wanted to talk to me. Maybe he was already too suspicious of us. I half expected to find Remus and Harry gone the next day, since Harry knew how to get out. Ah! That reminded me of something I'd missed, and I keyed Remus into the wards over the portal. Didn't want him feeling trapped in style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /If Remus did take Harry and leave it wouldn't really affect my plans too much. The man was a good guardian for Harry and would still be a good pick for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position both for his competence and his availability. Remus himself would accept the job just to watch over Harry, and wouldn't object to Black taking the guardianship once Sirius was exonerated since Lily and James had made the man Harry's godfather. I did hope they wouldn't leave though. It would mean fewer resources for both Harry and Remus until I solved the Black style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I spent the evening practicing chakra control exercises and alternately damaging myself with frost and fire, then healing myself to gain ranks in [Mystical Energy (Mastery)], [Holy], [Energy Affinity (Heat)], [Energy Affinity (Cold)], and [Elemental Bending]. I'd already been immune to fire damage, but the skill was only at level fifty. When it reached fifty-one I grinned to see the description indicate I would now span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"gain/span health and mana from being exposed to fire, rather than losing health like I had before the immunity. Since that actually left me with six essentially unused threads of thought due to [Multi-Focus] I added [Dream Walk] to assure Harry slept well, fine manipulation of the electrical current in the air, keeping myself at optimum temperature with a constant breeze, keeping my hair and clothes still in said breeze with telekinesis, speeding myself up with the [Haste] buff I'd cobbled together in Pokémon, and studying the Hogwarts texts I'd memorized the text of earlier to keep me style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Multi-Focus has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Damn it all. I knew it made me theoretically cooler/more powerful, but keeping my entire mind occupied was getting to be a chore! The vast majority of the time I didn't use the extra processing power and it just went to waste, but when I was training I wanted conditions to be optimal! I conjured a bunch of rocks and started hitting myself with those via geokinesis, granting me experience toward my [Physical Endurance] and expanding the type of experience I was gaining in [Elemental Bending].br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /A little after one in the morning I stopped training, slid down from the wall, and teleported back to Wiltshire. Lucius Malfoy was behind most of the obstructions to my plans right now, and I knew where he lived. I'd been there. I hadn't intended to act against the man openly until I'd gotten Voldy taken care of and obtained the philosopher's stone, but what was the damn point in waiting? Hoping that I didn't butterfly something into screwing with my plans at this point was like not pouring gasoline onto a burning oil well. If the short-term timeline was going to be messed up, I'd probably already done something to cause it. The Malfoy family and their elves woke up the next morning on their lawn and their house reduced to a pile of smouldering rubble. I'd looted the place to the ground and taken their Gringotts keys first, of style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Emptying the Malfoy vaults had been much easier than I expected. Apparently you could just hand anyone your vault key and ask them to fetch something for you. This was just accepted in the wizarding world. It was also phenomenally stupid, and was about to beggar a ton of Death Eaters. The Avery, Carrow, Crabbe, Dolohov, Goyle, Jugson, Lestrange, Macnair, Mulciber, Nott, Rookwood, Rowle, Travers, and Yaxley homes were similarly burgled via judicious use of scrying, teleportation, hugely over-powered sleep spells, haste, invisibility, flight, multi-focus, telekinesis, and finally great big balls of style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I missed breakfast, but Gringotts was open all night since it also functioned as an entrance to goblin territory. I emptied their vaults all in one trip (except for Lestrange, which had been seized by the goblins themselves), and as the goblin accompanying got more and more hostile the more vaults I emptied I silently thanked Washu that I still looked like Malfoy from when I'd emptied his vault earlier that evening. Someone was going to have a bad time, and I really hoped it was that smug blonde bastard. I removed the magic and melted their keys too, just because I could. [Observe] said they were made of real gold and silver. Why did the Harry Potter world have hundreds of tons more gold and silver than mine did? Was that why galleons were only worth five pounds? I started storing the gold and silver in bags so they wouldn't just convert to dollars in my style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Shapeshift has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Quest Updated! Neutralize as many Death Eaters as possible!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Quest Updated! Free Sirius Black!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Another day of tutoring from Remus, socializing, and grooming both Ember and Guinevere followed by an evening visit to the Leaky Cauldron for news finally brought the explosion of media that I'd been waiting for. The bar was packed with people talking about how the dementors had vanished, Sirius Black was supposedly innocent, the Minister and his Undersecretary were found drunkenly rambling about something that got them arrested, a bunch of homes had been burned down, and the goblins and everyone else were pissed off because apparently Lucius Malfoy went and stole all the Death Eaters' money. He had been arrested and charged with numerous counts of theft and arson when he came to report his own home burning down, which was probably what set the Minister and his toady off. Wizards had no goddamn style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Quest Updated! Neutralize as many Death Eaters as possible!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Quest Updated! Free Sirius Black!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /That was ok, though. At least for me. I had no fucking clue what I was going to do with a fifteen homes worth of furniture, clothing, books, magical doodads, and other junk though. Also a lot of very fancy food. Why was there a live chicken in my inventory again? Oh! Right. That time with the basilisk. Wait...I could store things that were alive in my inventory? Idly scrolling through my inventory I started to mentally sort things and headed out into muggle London. Surely there were antique dealers around somewhere, and I could offload a bunch of the stuff that wasn't valuable or magical on local charities. Did they have Goodwill in England [1]?br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Asking around and checking the phone book got me enough places that I was actually able to offload pretty much everything I didn't want that also didn't break the Statute of Secrecy. Charity shops were England's answer to Goodwill. Also churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, etc. I made sure to use different identities at every place, thanking Savant's perfect memory and running through people I'd seen in Pokémon and The Gamer. There were a lot of strange people selling furniture and stuff that style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Shapeshift has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Shapeshift has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Shapeshift has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Shapeshift has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Shapeshift has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /As I prepared for another night of practice, this time with [Mystical Energy (Mastery)], [Holy], [Energy Affinity (Heat)], [Energy Affinity (Cold)], [Shapeshift], [Elemental Bending], [Haste], [Telekinesis], and [Dream Walk], I prayed that the next day would go well. If it did I would have nearly finished this Jump with almost the full ten years remaining. I could only style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[1] : There's a charity based in the UK called Oxfam and they take donations, but I didn't add it to the story because I didn't want to try and figure out if there were any in or near London in 1991./div  
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	20. Chapter 20

It felt like I'd been waiting for July 31st for a month, when really it had only been a week since Ember and I arrived in this world. I ate breakfast with Harry, Remus, and Ember then told them I had to go finish Harry's birthday present and might be gone until dinner. Ember and Remus had both gotten gifts for the kid and they all looked a little put-out that they had to wait until dinner to do the party, but they agreed to wait. Remus and Ember were going to take Harry out for the day to get his supplies and then goof around a bit.

I arrived at the Leaky Cauldron early just in case, and immediately spotted Quirinus Quirrell headed out the back. He had a little more than a full soul, with the extra taking residence in the back of his head. I'd really hoped this would play out like it did in the books, but without Hagrid taking Harry to Diagon and with all the other changes I'd made it looked like improvisation was the way to go. I didn't sense any unusual magical items on him, so it was unlikely he already had the stone. I followed him out and into the Alley, then ducked into an alcove and made myself invisible before resuming my pursuit. He was headed straight for Gringotts.

The books had never gone into detail about how Quirrell had broken into the vault containing the philosopher's stone, or even how he'd known about it. I was going with Voldy scouting around in wraith form, but that seemed like it would have grabbed the attention of the goblins. Maybe I wasn't the only one who knew the value of divination? Either way, he strode with purpose into the bank, past the tellers, and toward the area with the carts and offices. Nobody even looked at him oddly when he stopped by a door to wait as if he had an appointment coming up, nor did they see him when he darted into the tunnels.

Someone had obviously done some scouting, because Quirrell/Voldy seemed to know exactly where he was going. He deftly avoided a few pitfalls and patrols, led me the long way around a vault guarded by a dragon, then finally stopped in front of a vault and raised an artifact of some kind to the door. Why wasn't he using magic? Could this world's magic be detected by the goblins?

I crept closer, silencing myself as I went with [Illusion]. The man was unlikely to smell me, and now he wouldn't hear or see me either. I [Haste]d myself, conjured a pretty red stone in one hand, and started pooling [Holy] energy in the flesh of the other. The moment the vault door opened everything went wrong for the would-be-thief. Just as in the movie there was a wrapped package radiating magic in the center of the vault, and just as in the movie Hagrid had come for it. There was a cart carrying the half-giant and a furious-looking goblin racing toward him.

I quickly conjured a bag around the stone in my hand that looked as close as I could make it to what I saw, then switched the two with a clever application of [Teleportation]. Since the goblin and half giant were coming and I was thus far unspotted I put the stone in my inventory and waited. Quirrell ran into the vault, the goblin and half-giant ran in after him, shouting for guards, and I directed the ball of [Holy] magic I'd been gathering in the most powerful smite I could muster on short notice. A blinding light and an unearthly wail heralded the completion of one of my main quest objectives, and I teleported away before anyone could figure out where the light had come from.

[Quest Complete! Permanently defeat Voldemort!]  
[You've gained a level!]

-

Giddy with success, I returned to the warehouse and [Observe]d the stone in my inventory. It was real! It was really a philosopher's stone! It was really cursed to kill anyone who used it! Fuck! There was a tracking spell on it too. Could people track things that were in my inventory?

Options. I had options. I could try to remove the curse and either keep it in my inventory to hide it or dispel the tracking charm too, I could destroy it like Dumbledore claimed to have done in the movie, or I could try to find a way to send it back to Flamel with a note. The first might disrupt whatever magic was inherent in the stone, the second would ruin possibly the only philosopher's stone I wouldn't have to pay choice points for, and the third might be impossible or leave me with a six hundred year old alchemist turning his attention on me. All three required me to remove it from my inventory, which would remove whatever protection I might or might not have from the tracking charm. Washu was laughing at me again. I could hear it.

Fuck it. I turned invisible, silenced myself, and teleported to a street I remembered from my first life in the United States. It wasn't quite how I remembered it in 1991, but this was also a different world. I walked into a gas station bathroom, closed the stall door, and pulled out the stone. [Remove Curse] took forty tries to work, even backed by my skill level with [Holy]. Now I needed to get rid of the tracking charm. 'Please let this work!' I thought to myself desperately, and targeted a [Dispel] at the stone with the tracking charm in particular in mind.

Just before I actually discharged the spell I realized I was an idiot, despite having 400 intelligence. I could **see** the tracking charm's magic, and it was separate from the stone's. I could manipulate magical and basically every other type of energy on such a fine level that it was like using a scalpel to [Dispel]'s chainsaw. I picked the damn thing out of the stone just before a series of pops like gunshots sounded outside the gas station. I dropped the stone in my inventory and teleported to Seoul, then ran like mad invisibly with no aura and making no sound for something like twenty minutes before I turned into a fox and dived into a portal to the warehouse. The sound of half a door splintering and falling to the ground reminded me that the portal had been in use elsewhere, and I absently walked over to the fallen piece of wood. I checked my watch. It wasn't even ten yet. Also: why did I need or want a philosopher's stone? I could literally conjure gold and druid magic allowed me to make a more effective solution to aging.

I very deliberately teleported back to the Dursley home's hallway and was very thankful not to find any of the horrible people home. I reopened the portal to the warehouse in the proper place, then picked up the broken bits of door with telekinesis, moved them out of the way, and conjured another that hadn't been torn in half by a dimensional rift closing through it. With a tired sigh I took the ruined wood into my home, exited into the warehouse proper, and burned the wood with the hottest plasma I could create and contain in such a confined space.

[You've taken radiation damage!][1]  
[By doing something "special," you've created a new skill: Energy Affinity (Radiation)!]

Damnit. Now I had to figure out a way to clean up radiation! And it didn't even tell me what kind!

[You've taken radiation damage!]

'_**I know already!**_'

Concentrating on my [Divination] ability and the need to be able to detect radiation that was potentially harmful to humans lit the entire place up in my sight and senses, but most of it seemed to be on surfaces that were directly visible from the place I'd burned the door.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Divination (Sense Radiation)!]

-

[Divination (Sense Radiation) has leveled up!]  
[Dispel (Radiation) has leveled up!]

I cracked my neck and cast the damn thing again. It wasn't really dispelling so much as it was cancelling, according to the description. That was great, because moving gamma radiation or whatever this was around was less helpful than cancelling it. I'd finally finished removing all of it that I could see from the Warehouse, and Washu had finally stopped laughing at me. Then she addressed me, I and felt like an idiot. This really wasn't my day.

"_You know that was all harmless background radiation right? The only reason you took damage in the first place was because the energy output from your plasma-based incinerator briefly spiked into the gamma and x-ray range. You should really learn to vanish your messes like every other wizard in the PotterVerse. Also: no, items in your inventory cannot be tracked by the locals. You might be able to find them since your skill with divination and teleportation can cross dimensional barriers now to some extent._"

Well that just made a lot of my day less helpful. I was an electrical engineer and a programmer, not a nuclear physicist! I deliberately ignored the fact that I could have very easily worked out the radiation bit on my own. Checking my watch revealed that I still had time to prepare something nice for Harry's birthday dinner. I turned invisible and teleported to an alley near the grocery store Ember and I had been purchasing supplies from, then made sure nobody was around before shifting to random white guy #38's form and dropping the invisibility.

"_Ember, can you check what flavor cake Harry wants?_" I sent telepathically.

"_He's not really sure, but Remus said his parents were big fans of Black Forest chocolate cake._"

Since the day had been going so well, I bought ingredients to make everything I wanted **and** a pre-made cake. Then I bought a variety pack of gourmet cupcakes. I'd drop by and order some pizza to be picked up later too, and if I managed not to screw up dinner it would stay in my inventory until it was needed. The idea of fresh, hot pizza stored in stasis and available at all times made me cry in joy. Just a little. The checkout clerk didn't say anything about me crying, anyway. I ducked out of sight, concealed myself, and teleported back to the kitchen of the warehouse home.

When everything was cooking and I had a bit of free time I started practicing the household spells I remembered from both Pettigrew's memory and from the various school books. They were exceptionally helpful, and saved me quite a bit of time. That done, I sat down at the table and pulled out my leatherworking kit. Harry was going to need a backup focus or twenty in case his wand was unavailable, and I wanted to give him at least one really good one. I'd purchased some dragonhide a while back, and I was pretty sure I could make a pair of glove foci like mine that could turn into full safety gloves for use in potions and herbology. They'd need to be able to go over or under rings too, in case he ever got any fancy head-of-house rings or anything. And they'd have to re-size. I'd never done that before, but I could test it myself with [Shapeshifting].

By the time Ember, Harry, and Remus returned I had dinner and a variety of pastries on the table under stasis charms. Those would be particularly useful in the future, especially if I could adapt them to work on living things. I'd taken to re-enchanting one of my pistols, since I'd gained a lot of skill since I did them last. The one I was working on was now more powerful than the original enchanted sniper rifle, the projectiles were **far** more capable of piercing supernatural barriers and resistance, and the lockout features now made the entirety of the enchantments switch over to keeping the damn thing from working if anyone but me handled it. Instead of just blocking the hammer from striking the bullet the entire chamber and barrel were filled with solid material and the hammer became locked in place. Any bullet in the chamber at the time would be vanished as per Harry Potter magic.

Harry took one look at the table laden with food and froze, seeming unsure how he should act. Remus kneeled down to comfort him and Ember came over to hug me. I returned it gratefully, then indicated where I'd put my wrapped present on the counter. She went to her room and got a couple of packages to put next to it, then went to comfort Harry in Remus's place so he could do the same. After we finally convinced the little guy that yes: this was a party for him and he had special food and presents and the whole deal we sat down and sang him the happy birthday song. I even conjured him a little party hat. When Harry had blown out the candles, I called attention to myself by clearing my throat.

"Everyone: I told you I had something important to do today, and I wanted it done before Harry's birthday. Well, happy birthday kiddo. The Dark Wanker is no more. I sent the last of his soul packing today. You're free. Also, Remus: you need to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position and reveal you're no longer a werewolf to Dumbledore. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention who healed you."

Remus looked slightly skeptical, but Harry and Ember were thrilled. For some reason Guinevere once again chose that moment to join us. Where the hell did she keep going, anyway? The presents portion of the evening went swimmingly, with Remus and Harry both impressed by the focus gloves. I hadn't added studs to them since Harry wasn't trained for unarmed combat, but being able to pull off what looked like wandless magic was awesome. Since I had Harry available and the gloves had been demonstrated, I tuned them so only Harry and those related to him could use them as foci and that they'd teleport to Harry if he called for them. I'd made them as indestructible as I could since I hoped Harry would pass them down as an heirloom. Also he was a child, and children often didn't take great care of their things.

-

The month of August seemed to fly by. Sirius Black was cleared of all charges and sent to St. Mungo's to recover. Remus visited him often and explained the situation with Harry and his "friends," but constantly had to deny it was a prank. He also got the defense position, and continued tutoring Harry while Ember and I studied different things then [Tutor]ed each-other on what we'd learned. This took advantage of our [Tutor] skill quite nicely, and we were quickly heading into Ordinary Wizarding Level test territory both with and without wands. Harry was picking up occlumency nicely, and at night I ground my skills for all I was worth. The most notable achievements there were my gaining complete immunity to cold, near-mastery of water-walking, and two new levels in [Multi-Focus] that had allowed me to start conjuring materials and using the instant version of my [Crafting] skill while I did other things. I had hundreds of imperfect copies of, funnily enough, the [Copy] skillbook. I was testing them first by seeing if I got the prompt to learn the skill and second by speed-reading through them for errors.

It turned out [Copy] was a lot like the stupid cheating eyes of the cheating Uchiha clan from Naruto, but not quite the same. The skill didn't grant precognition or any other powers other than copying techniques and only allowed a short window for the user to throw copied skills back at the opponent, but the length of time users retained the copied skills increased the better the user was at [Copy]. I assumed this meant that at some point it would become permanent, and was a little disappointed since I could already sort of do the same thing given my perfect memory and ability to see and sense mystical energy. Come to think of it, I could probably duplicate a lot of what I'd seen in The Gamer now if I wanted to. If it came up I'd give it a try.

With the first day of school fast approaching on September first I pondered what to do about Dumbledore. With the Dark Idiot dead for good there wasn't any reason for the man to manipulate or otherwise interfere in Harry's life anymore. Sirius was set to become Harry's guardian when he was released from St. Mungo's, so the boy would never have to return to the Dursley home after school started. I'd either killed or beggared all the Death Eaters I could think of, which had most likely irked the old man quite a bit but I didn't think he could pin it on me. There was no quest to eliminate Dumbledore, and he could potentially be a really good guy. The problem was his behavior in the books indicated he'd been either senile or malicious with a side of sociopathy and paranoia. I eventually came to the conclusion that if he was made aware the prophecy was no longer in play he shouldn't cause too much trouble. I'd planned to stay the first year or so anyway to benefit from the Hogwarts professors and library before moving on. I'd send Dumbledore an anonymous note to check the prophecy orb.

Ember gave me funny looks when I started stacking up gold and silver ingots in the warehouse one evening when everyone else was getting ready for bed. I'd decided to do some house cleaning and [Crafting] allowed me to reform the numerous trinkets and coins I'd acquired into ingots very quickly. I went over the brooms I'd gotten from the Room of Lost Things and the various Death Eater homes to remove personal markings then donated them to the school except for the ones I gave to Harry and Ember. Any of them that hadn't been in good shape I'd either fixed myself for practice or used as kindling.

[Quest Updated! Eliminate dangerous elements around the school!]

With Remus's help and some correspondence from Sirius I'd managed to recreate both the Marauder's Map and their communication mirrors, but since I already had a fiat-granted copy of the map I gave this one to Harry. Remus actually smiled at me without any kind of suspicion when I asked him to explain the piece of parchment I'd handed the boy. My divine power was pulsing again, which made me sigh and pout for no reason anyone but Washu could discern. She made fun of me.

Finally, the day before we had to leave for school, I called Washu about the Deathly Hallows. I'm pretty sure Death had been watching me for a while and could read my thoughts just as easily as Washu, since it showed up in the form of Terry Pratchett's Death: a tall skeletal figure with a scythe, sword, and black robe with tiny blue pinpricks of light in the eye-sockets of its skull. Also, Death of Rats was on its shoulder. I asked Washu if I could give Harry the cloak afterward, but other than that left all the talking to her. Being multi-dimensional deities, they of course came to a conclusion more or less instantly from my perspective. I wasn't sure if that was because they'd already planned how this would go or because they were being godly, but Death took all three items. He made the wand and the ring disappear, then the divine aura of the cloak dimmed a bit and he handed it back to Washu. Then he turned to face me.

YOU HAVE SAVED ME A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND CLEANED UP A MESS LEFT BY MY PREVIOUS AVATAR HERE. WASHU HAS EXPLAINED YOUR QUEST, AND I GRANT YOU MY BLESSING.

SQUEEK!

My own divine energy shifted in a really odd way, then grew a lot more powerful. Washu looked insufferably smug. I gave Remus the cloak the next day, saying I'd found it while gathering the horcruxes for disposal. He seemed to have become used to my doing odd, illegal, and/or impossible things by that point since he just nodded with a smile and promised to return it to Harry.

[1] : The Gamer is being silly and putting all types of harmful radiation under one category. I think this means I'm now resistant to tanning beds.


	21. Chapter 21

When we arrived at King's Cross train station there were no Weasleys shouting about muggles and Platform 9¾. That might have been because we got there at ten in the morning instead of right before the train left. The train ride itself was annoying. I had to shoo Ron Weasley away from our compartment several times, and it kept interrupting the lovely conversation I was having with Harry, Ember, Neville, and Hermione. I extolled the virtues of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, indicating that to go anywhere else was to show you were more interested in politics and posturing than education and friendship. Neville looked a lot more cheerful after that, Harry had heard this all before over meals, and Hermione looked very thoughtful. Draco Malfoy never showed up.

The trolley lady came and went, selling sweets and other edibles to everyone she could. I wasn't sure exactly why a boarding school that required an eight-hour train ride and provided food the rest of the school year was charging for lunch on the train, but it didn't bother me enough to gripe about it. About thirty minutes after the trolley lady left, Guinevere showed up. Everyone else was appropriately awed at my "phoenix familiar." I was just annoyed.

"_Where do you keep going?_" I asked her telepathically. Phoenixes were supposed to be intelligent, right? Or was that fanon? I got back a feeling of contented laziness, and decided I'd been given a defective phoenix. Or at least an unmotivated one. For some reason it trilled a reply that seemed amused and affectionate, even though I'd stopped projecting. Was my phoenix both lazy and telepathic? Weird.

I kind of withdrew from the conversation after that, and when we got to the school I got to see the results of some of my actions. All of the children of the people I'd robbed were wearing second-hand robes worse than Ron's, and they looked miserable. I felt guilty. These were children. Bratty children with horrible parents, but children. Hopefully being poor would be character-building, because I wasn't going to risk trying to give the money back. Were those second-hand wands, too? Good grief I'd forgotten to make sure people had their wands when I tossed them on the lawn and burned their houses down! Awkward.

Wasn't Ron a child too? Crap. He was. Also bratty, but still a child. That gave me an idea, though. Second-hand robes wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run for education, but unmatched wands were **bad**. At this point Ron, Neville, and most or all of the children I felt bad for screwing with had wands that probably weren't ideal. I'd send a note to Ollivander. Also, I should probably give Flamel his stone back after I study it a bit. And Dumbledore needed a note.

'_I should get on that. Eventually_.'

The ride across the lake was fun, the castle was very pretty, and for some reason the ghosts never came through the wall like they did in the book. I had my aura in check, right? Yep. No idea what that was about, then. The sorting ceremony proceeded as normal, corny song and all. The only differences were that Harry and Hermione both ended up in Hufflepuff with me and Ember. The value of friendship and hard work had easily won over both the famous boy and the girl who desperately wished for companionship when Hogwarts Houses had come up on the train.

The students of Hogwarts slowly became accustomed to the Boy-Who-Lived and apparently just wanted to be normal. Hufflepuff house stood together, and he and Miss Granger became close friends. A certain redheaded Gryffindor first year found himself pranked a few times just so I could complete the quest, and blamed it on his confused older brothers. None of the pranks were anything more than mildly annoying. Since his opinion of Hufflepuff house wasn't great and he didn't like Hermione, he didn't get very close to Harry.

[Quest Complete! Spite Ron Weasley!]

As a group I approached the school librarian with Ember, Harry, and Hermione about learning to care for and restore old books. Madame Pince was only too happy to share knowledge of her favorite subject, and we were actually allowed out for a while after first-year curfew to help her with such tasks. With the occlumency teachings of Ember and the mission of ensuring everything was in good condition we over every page of every book in the Hogwarts library. I remembered every word, and finally got my crafting skill to the point of making books from materials instantly. The Cosmic Warehouse soon had a copy of every book in the Hogwarts library stacked in boxes on shelves, and I finally copied then learned the ridiculous skill books I'd picked up from Anime Attack.

The third week of November 1991 Harry Potter was reunited with his godfather Sirius Black and, though Dumbledore tried to interfere, Sirius was awarded guardianship by the Ministry. That reminded me to finally send out the notes I'd been holding onto, with Ollivander's including a sack of galleons for his trouble. The man came to the school and matched everyone that needed them with new wands, and Dumbledore looked a lot less stressed a few days later. The obstacle course holding the fake philosopher's stone I'd conjured was taken down, even though I was pretty sure Dumbledore knew it was a fake.

[Quest Complete! Eliminate dangerous elements around the school!]

Really? I was pretty sure the school would never be completely free of dangerous elements, but the quest reward was welcome anyway. I ended up having to send the philosopher's stone with Guinevere since mail owls wouldn't go anywhere with anything addressed to Nicholas Flamel, and I got back a very angry letter with a beginner's guide to alchemy that I already had a copy of. None of it was cursed or hexed, thankfully. Guinevere seemed to think the whole thing was hilarious.

I ended up not actually noticing the effect of the Bully Professor drawback until I realized I was getting the worst possible grade on every potions assignment. I'd just assumed Snape would be an asshole, and hadn't let it bother me. It was kind of his thing. I snuck into his quarters one night and removed the now-faded dark mark from his arm in thanks for not being any more of a prick than he normally was. Actually, he seemed a little more mellow than he acted in the books and the movies even before I removed the mark. That had probably been part of the reason I didn't notice his behavior. The one time he allowed himself to mutter around my class I heard him talking about "that stupid spawn of Potter and his cheerful idiot friends that almost got me arrested." I'd no idea he'd been caught up in the accusations I threw at various Death Eaters, and only found out later that night pretty much all of them had been arrested and sent to Azkaban since they no longer had any money to bribe people with.

My magic got a hell of a lot more flexible. Finite incantatem helped me improve [Dispel], [Mystical Energy (Void)], and [Remove Curse]. I'd already learned the spell to vanish things from Pettigrew's mind, but formal study allowed me to adapt it such that I actually got back either raw materials or mana when I used it. There had been quite a few inefficient parts the spell. The books I'd acquired from various Death Eater homes helped me to learn fiendfyre, obliviate, a few rituals, and round out both my [Buff] and [Debuff] skills. I really needed to buy the Fiendfyre Master perk. I could control the stuff, but it wasn't at all effortless. Also the Room of Requirement needed quite a few massively-overpowered reparo spells. Those were great. Probably the most complicated thing I learned was how lasting curses in the Harry Potter world worked, which allowed me to develop my own [Curse] skill. I could now arbitrarily put long-lasting spell effects on people that would require specialist skills to remove!

With the advent of the [Curse] skill came something I'd been wondering about but hadn't quite figured out for a long time: adding permanent spell effects and such to myself as passive buffs. I'd bound [Holy] to my soul and hadn't ever seen any difference from it, but I'd assumed it allowed me a measure of resistance against necromancy. I'd also anchored my soul in place with a very specialized piece of magic. I combined what I'd learned from these and [Curse] to create [Regeneration], [Force Field], and [Mystical Energy (Resistance)].

I wasn't sure why it happened, but the "Neutralize as many Death Eaters as possible!" quest just popped up as completed in the middle of class one day. Maybe the DMLE had finally gotten all of them? Or at least enough of them to get me quest experience? It didn't really matter why it happened, just that I'd completed all the quests I'd received when I started the Jump. I was still getting quests to do homework and such from the teachers, but the experience reward was pitiful and improved relations with my teachers didn't help with the only one trying to cause me trouble: Snape. The key word there was **trying**. He was picking on what he thought was an eleven year old with a fragile ego that required validation in the form of good grades. I was something like seventy years old mentally and while I still acted like a child sometimes (often), I'd gotten plenty used to ignoring pests.

When the winter break came along, Ember and I went to take our OWLs and passed them. All of them. Even divination. We didn't show off anything that was too far beyond the scope of this world's magic, we just appeared to be extremely talented prodigies with very good memories. The rest of the holiday was spent with Sirius, Remus, and Harry. Guinevere was still lazy, and slept through most everything.

The end of winter break brought with it the chance to audit sixth and seventh year classes and a lot more free time. I asked Dumbledore about alchemy tutoring, but he reluctantly informed he he had too many responsibilities to attend to. Also he'd had a heart attack at the sorting and Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let him take on more work. I was getting pretty bored, so I forged on ahead studying for the NEWT tests and asked Remus to teach me how to cast a patronus. The patronus spell turned out to be exceptionally compatible with [Holy], and I got the technique for it down in under an hour. A pygmy hedgehog was not the most intimidating patronus I'd ever heard of, but it was adorable and it reminded me of my wife.

The end of the school year came and went, Ember and I passed the NEWT tests for everything, I bought a ton of plant cuttings and seeds, and Remus Lupin moved in with Sirius and Harry for the summer. They were living in one of the Black properties I'd never heard of since Arcturus was still alive and well. I visited them with Ember and Guinevere after cleaning out my Gringotts vault for a tearful goodbye, and we moved on. Ember left Remus a book with the technique used to remove his curse. It was labeled only 'Holy', but contained a fascinating forward about a travelling deity by the name of Wren, and a handwritten note in the back explaining how to use the energy described therein to remove a curse more easily than what was printed in the normal text. Remus remembered what I'd had done for him, and belief took hold.

-

Our arrival in the Cosmic Warehouse was unusual. Washu greeted me with a glomp, then proceeded to give Ember a hug and wink at Guinevere. I think the bird might have winked back, which was also strange. Ember wandered off to the housing area while I looked over the console Washu presented. She'd already set the next Jump for Ranma ½ as per my wishes, and there were some options locked-in.

"Washu, why did you force the Spring of Drowned Girl and Locked Curse options? And why am I locked into mastering Anything Goes?" I asked carefully.

"Weeeell… you got the metamorph talent and shapeshifting and all, but you've never used it to see how the other half lives! Think of it as becoming a better, more understanding husband for when you're re-united. Also, I've given you something special to make things more fun! Take another look at Spring of Drowned Girl!" I groaned, then checked the description. Holy shit. I was going to be an exact copy of Ranma's female form? I was suddenly very **very** glad that I was near invulnerable. The starting location was the cursed springs of course, and Shampoo would be on the lookout to try and kill a person who looked exactly like me and knew the same martial arts that I did. As a bonus, Locked Curse made my shapeshifting powers even more useless since I couldn't shift in cursed form.

"You are an evil, evil woman Washu. This doesn't override Body Mod or my Gamer stats, does it?"

"Of course not! Even if you turned into a cat they would both carry over. Unless of course there was a drawback that specified otherwise."

"Awesome. So I'll be an oddly Irish-looking asian girl. I'll go by Wrin when I'm female. Is this manga or anime appearance-wise?" I asked.

"Anime where applicable, manga everywhere else. The opposite for plot: I'll be putting you in the manga timeline with possible anime tie-ins. The anime was more consistent appearance-wise, anyway."

"Alright. I guess that works. I have a build I like, but I don't know Cantonese, Mandarin, or Japanese. Is there a way I can pick those up without changing my build?"

"Well...you really don't need them. As per the Jump-Chain rules you understand everyone and everyone understands you. The only exception mentioned is Pokémon, and this Jump Doc doesn't negate that."

"So does that mean I actually learn the languages or that I'm getting some sort of translation power? I picked up Korean when I accepted a normal background for The Gamer." Washu contemplated that for a moment.

"I won't give you the languages for free, but I can do just about the same thing. Your intelligence score is so high you remember everything you experience at this point, so I can make it an obvious translation effect to you and you can learn the languages that way."

"Works for me. I've got points banked, but I'm not going to use them quite yet. Drop-in for background, Some Kind of Ninja for stealth, Homemaking Skills because doing all your chores in minutes is amazing, Anything Goes Martial Arts mastery to go with what I know from The Gamer, Medical Genius to make my healing more efficient and get me a job if I need one, then I'll pick up Under My Protection from The Gamer and Fiendfyre Master from Harry Potter. That's still discounted, right?"

"Yeah, technically," she replied with a smile.

"Great. I'll also take Curse of the Cat Fist, since having claws that cut through anything by fiat will be amazing after I get over my terrible new phobia. For gear I want the Bandanna of Infinite Bandannas, a Collection of Magical Incenses, a Dragon Whisker, and a Flask of Water of Life."

"Alright. That leaves you with 250 points left, which is going to put you up to the maximum 500 points in the bank. Will you be taking Ember with you? Companion imports are free this jump," Washu reminded me.

"I think I might as well. This should be a relatively safe jump for her as long as she stays near me. Ember! Can you come pick out what you want? Or do you want to sit this one out?"

"I'll come. What are my options?" She said as she wandered back over, a half-eaten turkey leg still in hand. I simply indicated the console. The options were limited, and she picked up the Innocent Bystander background with Homemaking Skills for free. I offered her some of my banked points, but she refused citing that being in the Gamer's Party was enough to get most everything else especially with [Tutor] and the magic she already knew. She rolled for her curse and ended up with the Spring of Drowned Boy, which made me laugh a little and pout. I didn't know exactly what she was hoping for, but her results amused me.

"Alright," started Washu. "Before you start making your own plans, I've got a special objective for you: defeat Saffron **personally** at his full power. Given your skillset and elemental immunities it shouldn't really be difficult, but your ascent to divinity requires a few things. One of them is that you have to be harder to kill than a mortal. If you do this I'll reward you with a phoenix-like rebirth ability. Got it?" I blinked incredulously.

"Are you fucking serious? That would be amazing! It also changes some of my plans. Ok… there's a few moves I absolutely want to learn: whatever the Tendo ability to manifest weapons of pure ki is, Ranma's ability to fight in his sleep, the Breaking Point, the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken speed technique, the Yamasen-Ken and Umisen-Ken, Hiryu Shoten Ha, the Ultimate Weakness moxibustion, Hinako's energy draining and returning moves, Happosai's one-finger block and pipe-throw techniques...there's bound to be something I'm missing. Can those be optional quests?" Washu nodded and made a motion to continue.

"Also as optional quests I'd like to break the lock on my curse, keep the wishing sword out of Kuno's hands, and grab a whole lot of the series artifacts: the Locking Ladle, the Kettle of Opening, the Nanban mirror, the enchanted gi, and whatever else is interesting. I'll do my best to help people while I'm there. On that note, am I allowed to outright break Jusenkyo curses?"

"Sooo… you want to break your biggest drawback, learn all of the best techniques, steal all the cool stuff, and help a few people. Yes, you can break the curses with a little practice. It would probably kill the fun of the series if you did it to anyone else though, so please refrain from curing anyone that's not already an accomplished shapeshifter. You're making Saffron your end-of-Jump goal?"

"Yep," I replied. "If I can't beat a phoenix demi-god how am I supposed to become a creator-level deity?"

"Ok. I'm going to go ahead and say your curse itself will immediately turn into an alternate form when you manage to break it, but you won't be able to do that while it's locked. Capische?" My eyes lit up.

"Does...does that apply to any other Ranma ½ curses I might pick up? And what about Ember? And why an alternate form instead of just a shape I can assume?" Washu shrugged.

"Sure, take all the curses you want. You're a shapeshifter, after all. Ember's capable of learning the shapeshift skill via The Gamer if you keep her in your party, or she can just use Transform. Finally: alternate forms are guaranteed by the Jump-Chain itself. If you somehow lose your normal power to shapechange or don't have any MP left you can still take those forms."

I hit finalize with the widest grin I could manage and Ember and I were suddenly falling from the sky.


	22. Chapter 22

I landed in icy cold water, as expected. My body shifted in a slightly unfamiliar way, and when I surfaced a blob of magical water hit me from nowhere. I glanced around to see if I could nab the Locking Ladle that had supposedly just splashed me, but it was nowhere in sight.

[Quest Alert! Take ALL the things!]  
[Quest Alert! Learn ALL the things!]  
[Quest Alert! Break the lock on your curse!]  
[Quest Alert! Break your curse early!]  
[Quest Alert! Personally defeat Saffron after his ascension!]

"_The drawback said someone hit you with water __**from**__ the ladle, not that I would put it right next to you to steal right away_," Washu snickered in my head. A vaguely familiar form was crawling out of a spring about fifteen meters away, and I sighed theatrically before pulling myself out of the water and checking to make sure I hadn't left anything behind. Nope. All here. I let my now-red hair down and stored the dragon whisker in my inventory, then made sure my magical gear was all equipped.

'_Now_,' I thought, '_it's time to start exploiting the ever-living shit out of things._'

The Guide watched dumbfounded as I conjured barrel after barrel and emptied every single spring in Jusenkyou into my inventory, complete with labels. [Observe] was wonderful. When I approached him he looked like he'd never seen a mage in his life, which I thought was quite silly. The Amazons had magic users, right? Speaking of.

"Hello. I'm afraid I was interrupted mid-spell and my teleport was thrown off-target," I said. "Could you tell me which way the Amazon Village is?" It was very strange hearing myself speaking in two languages at once.

"I- you look just like the last person who fell in that spring! How is this possible?" I glanced at Ember, who was not-so-subtly checking out what was down her/his pants and rolled my eyes. This would be a wonderful journey of self discovery, I was sure.

"Given what I was able to glean from examining the magic, it could be coincidence or it could be resonance of some sort. Does the curse not normally produce identical results?" I asked as I idly applied size-adjusting enchantments to my clothing and equipment, then Ember's. That was much more comfortable, but I was going to need some support. The ogre panties were actually **more** comfortable now.

The guide looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head to indicate the cursed forms were not usually identical. I think. He might have been trying to shake away the crazy. After that he pretty much ignored all the magic I did, and took me and Ember directly to the village. He did warn us that he'd just returned from escorting someone else who had caused quite a stir and looked exactly like me, but I assured him it would be fine with confidence I only kind of felt.

As we walked I asked him about the names and circumstances of the previous visitors and he confirmed that they were both Japanese men and had signed the guest registry as Saotome Ranma and Saotome Genma. Since I hadn't entered the normal way I guessed Ember and I weren't on the registry, but it was possible Washu had put us there. Either way it wouldn't really matter. Guinevere landed on my shoulder and the guide jumped again with a curse. I glance up at her and cast an [Illusion] to make her look like a falcon. My gloves and bracers already kind of fit that image if you squinted...and imagined the gloves had fingers.

The scenery was truly beautiful, and Washu was spot on with saying I'd pick up the language quickly. It would take time and a lot of use, but not the decades it might have taken me before the Jump-Chain. Maybe a few months, at most. The guards at the gate seemed both incredulous and slightly hostile to see me, but I walked up to them confidently and asked if I could speak to an Elder or other leader. They exchanged looks, and one ran into the village proper. As I'd hoped, a shrivelled old woman named Ku Lon using a gnarled cane like a pogo stick came back with the guard, but I hadn't anticipated her caution. Her eyes kept straying to Guinevere too.

"Greetings. May I know your name and title, honored elder?"

"I am Ku Lon: Elder, Councilwoman, and Matriarch of the Chinese Amazons. You look like someone who fled for their life not an hour past, yet I cannot sense you at all. Your companions and attire are also different. Who and what are you?"

Oh. Right. I adjusted my aura to show what I'd observed from my fellow Tai Chi students from The Gamer in addition to a sizeable pool of mana, and she twitched.

"I am a mage by the name of Wren Black, Matriarch Ku Lon. I have been displaced here, possibly due to an interrupted teleportation. Myself and my sister wound up in the cursed springs not far from here. I seem to be unable to change back, but her curse looks slightly different than mine. She may be able to return to her original form." Just to make sure, I conjured some warm water over Ember's head. She sputtered and turned back into an adult form of her Harry Potter body. "I suppose I should go by Wrin again, since I'm a woman at the moment."

Ku Lon's eyes widened at my casual mention of teleportation, and she twitched when I conjured the water with barely a look at Ember. The guide suddenly seemed to remember something and started patting his pockets, then pulled out a large envelope addressed to me.

"Perhaps my displacement was not accidental after all, if someone knew to send you such a thing," I muttered as I opened it, revealing Japanese citizenship papers and passports for myself and Ember. A shake of the bag also revealed a pair of plane tickets back to Tokyo from Seoul.

"_Washu, are these legitimate?_" I sent to my benefactor.

"_Yeah. It was no trouble, and the Jump Document didn't specify whether they were real or not,_" Washu sent back.

"Definitely purposeful meddling," I continued. "But to what end? And why do I look like whoever it was that fled your people?"

"I don't know, stranger. But you say you fell in a spring to take this form? Did the one before you do the same, or was she the one who imprinted the spring?" Ku Lon asked. I looked at the guide, and he answered for me.

"The customer was a young man before the curse, and his father turned into a panda. I tried to warn them! I tried to explain when we got here! Nobody ever listens to me! The young man thought he was challenged for the food!" Ku Lon looked troubled for a moment, then turned back to me. I completely ignored the Jusenkyou Guide's breakdown, which probably only made it worse.

"Would you mind waiting over there for a bit? I need to speak to the council and go track down my great grand-daughter. I will need you and the Guide to present evidence. Please do not draw any weapons or move far from this spot. I do not want my people attacking a mage unprovoked, and they might if you're unguarded or appear hostile." I nodded and she instructed a pair of young women to stand with us.

The women were fun to talk to, but when they got to talking about why Ranma was being chased it lead into a discussion of their laws. I asked if there was a book or something and they sent someone for a copy, but when I looked it over...it wasn't promising. There were plenty of ways out of just about every situation, but only if the council ruled in your favor and you were a member of the tribe. You also couldn't do anything phenomenally stupid or you lost a lot of wiggle room. Shampoo was very close to that line. Wait...ok, I had to try that.

I asked if I could speak in Ranma's favor, and while it took some persuading they sent off a messenger. I'd assumed I'd have to approach as some sort of supplicant, so when Ku Lon led four other elderly women to me I was a bit surprised. She looked both irritated and hopeful, while the others just looked tired and a little angry.

"What do you have to say, outsider? We were coming to talk to you and the Jusenkyou guide anyway, but you seem to have some sort of idea of how to handle this. With the book in your hands I've some small hope it's workable, because we haven't come up with anything satisfactory yet." I nodded and cautiously began.

"Yes Matriarch, Elders, I believe I might. From reading over your laws it seems that Xian Pu is mostly in a bind because the cursed young man defeated her as an outsider. From his perspective he had to participate because he'd accidentally taken the prize for the winner, and from yours he fought Xian Pu on the challenge log after she defeated the last challenger. Could a case not be made then, that he was actually fighting to join the tribe itself by participating in the tournament?" Ku Lon and the Elders exchanged doubtful looks, so I went ahead and proposed my second idea.

"He seems to be quite skilled for one so young if he could defeat your young champion, and inducting him as a foreign ambassador or even merely an ally of the tribe lessens the severity of the breach and allows you to attempt to bring him in by marriage later. At the very least you could exchange teachings and receive some of the training techniques used to bring him to such a level so young. Your people are formidable from what I can see, but knowledge is power. Swear him to secrecy or to keep anything you teach him in his own family line and you gain much while giving up little." They looked a bit more positive now, but still unsure, so I laid my final card on the table.

"If nothing else, it could be argued that Xian Pu merely kissed him in the wrong place, and is now pursuing her future husband. Whether he agrees to be an ally or a husband, the tribe gains and the loss of honor is minimized. We would just need to convince Xian Pu herself of the facts. As an extra incentive, since I am on a ten year journey I could aid you in tracking him down for some teaching of my own. I would then make the boy my apprentice and ally with you myself for the time being, allowing him and perhaps one other to learn the way my sister and I will soon overcome the Jusenkyou curses we've acquired. Whoever learned your techniques would then swear not to teach them to anyone in this world outside of the tribe or their immediate family, who would be made to swear the same."

That got their attention. A brief demonstration of Ember's ability to shift to a nine-tailed fox, an arctic fox, then to a copy of her cursed form and back had them all chattering amongst themselves about how the whole thing could work. Acquiring the ability to overcome the curses for the tribe would be invaluable, and more than worth teaching myself and/or Ranma Amazon techniques and treating us as allies to the tribe. They didn't ask about the water aspect of the curse and I didn't mention it. Ember would be free of that part of the curse as soon as I had enough to time spam [Remove Curse] on her for a while.

A black piglet with a yellow bandanna and several obvious curses wandered past, so I scooped him up and began feeding him apple slices from my inventory. From memory this was Hibiki Ryoga. His life wasn't exactly great in the series, and while he didn't handle it well I somehow doubted I would have either given the circumstances. Where was his equipment, anyway? Scrying allowed me to locate it near a minor landslide at the lip of Jusenkyou valley. I dedicated a thread of thought to summoning his things and storing them in my inventory while I studied the magic on him. The Jusenkyou curse was obvious now that I'd seen a couple of them, but the other two were mind-affecting.

One or both were probably responsible for his horrible sense of direction. The other might be...anger and depression? Really? Ryoga did not need an emo/rage curse! Deciding to keep him with me until we were at least back in Japan, I whispered reassurances to him and turned my attention to what I could do with my idle thought processes. I'd been told my curse couldn't be cured while I was locked, but failure was actually useful for someone with the Gamer power. I started several additional threads attempting [Remove Curse], [Dispel], and [Shapeshift] to grind experience in those skills. Failure messages started piling up, and I moved them to the far end of my peripheral vision. When they came I'd move the skill level up messages there too. Ku Lon cleared her throat to catch my attention.

"Yes Matriarch? I apologize, but my mind was occupied examining the curses on this poor fellow," I said indicating Ryoga. She nodded understandingly with a look of pity at the piglet, and addressed me.

"As an ally of the tribe I believe you should call me Ku Lon or Elder. We have accepted your proposal and your aide, and will teach you in return for your aid resolving this situation and knowledge of how to overcome Jusenkyou." I smiled widely at this and made the oath I'd outlined earlier, Ember doing the same. The women seemed pleased. "Elder, should we not reach Xian Pu as quickly as possible? I can teleport myself and whatever party you wish to intercept her. We can then gather information on the young man and either go to him directly or intercept him at his destination."

Ku Lon nodded and leaped off, shouting for Mu Tsu to pack his things. Apparently Xian Pu wasn't completely off the hook if the Elder was bringing along her stalker / would-be-paramour. I conjured a large but simple mirror and began scrying for Xian Pu using it as a prop to display the images. The remaining Elders and several tribespeople looked on with interest as she moved through the forest, tracking her prey. The Jusenkyou guide quietly sulked for a few minutes, then left. Nobody paid him any mind.

Ku Lon returned quickly with a white-robed young man in tow. I indicated they should step in close to myself and Ember, and when they did I teleported us all about five meters in front of Xian Pu. She crashed into me of course, and we went down in a tangle of limbs and curses. Ryoga in piglet form went flying, but Ember caught him gently. Guinevere was laughing at me, I was sure of it. She'd dodged the girl's inadvertent tackle and landed on a nearby branch.

When Xian Pu tried to murder me with a sword and only broke the sword, her surprise was enough for Ku Lon to step in and explain the situation. Their whispered conversation about not angering mages who could probably fry them with a look was amusing. When the subject came around to the actual hunt for Ranma they started arguing loudly, so I sat down and started to educate Ember about the few things she'd need to know as a male hygiene-wise. Mu Tsu stayed well back from the conversation, scanning the forest for threats.

I knew I was going to get the reverse, and I wasn't looking forward to the talk or any demonstrations that might prove necessary. Ryoga was passed back to me, and was looking back and forth between myself and Ember with wide eyes. I murmured reassurances that I wouldn't allow him to be hurt while he was with me, and I could swear his little piggy eyes widened and he started crying a little. I assumed that was in joy. Then Ember started explaining things I'd need to know as a female. I did my best to remain stoic.

Much of what she said I knew from having been married to a lovely lady, but it'd never been this...personal. Ryoga buried his head in my armpit to try and block out the conversation, and when we took a break Ku Lon and Xian Pu had finished their conversation and were trying to look like they hadn't been eavesdropping. It wasn't working. This was going to be distinctly not-fun, and I knew it. Mu Tsu's face was a little red, but he continued to act as a lookout. I cleared my throat and tried to ignore my own red face, then grabbed the mirror I'd conjured earlier from my inventory.

Scrying for Ranma wasn't terribly difficult given my familiarity with the series and knowledge of approximately where he was. The scene I found showed him and his father sharing a kettle to turn back to their birth forms and I almost burst out laughing at the expression Xian Pu's face. She was eyeing Ranma like a particularly appetizing steak. Ku Lon and Mu Tsu both looked resigned, with the latter also a little angry. Genma spoke up while they cleared away the remains of the fire they'd used to heat the kettle, saying they'd be returning to Japan to meet an old friend in Nerima. The Amazons exchanged looks, then Ku Lon nodded and turned address me. Ryoga twitched in my arms, probably in fury or something.

A little additional scrying helped me locate the airport in Seoul and an out-of-the-way place to teleport to get there. Either the Amazons themselves would get tickets with me or I'd return mine and teleport us all to Japan. The latter turned out not to be necessary, as Ku Lon had called ahead to purchase tickets. I hadn't even been aware the village had a phone, but the odd satellite dish attached the the roof of several homes probably should have been a clue.

We entered the airport and were waived through security because apparently Ku Lon had some sort of diplomatic credentials. That was great, considering the fact Mu Tsu was probably carrying a ton or two of weapons hidden in ki space and I had no idea if they'd set off the metal detectors. Boarding didn't take long, despite Ryoga remaining cuddled up in my arms. I'd cast a variant of the Harry Potter notice-me-not spell I was working on turning into a someone-else's-problem effect over him to avoid questions. The flight itself was only a couple of hours, so we touched down in Tokyo with plenty of daylight remaining and almost two weeks ahead of the Saotome duo.

'_Welcome to a decade of insanity_,' I thought to myself with a small smile as we left the airport. Washu had arranged for my ID to reflect my cursed form and I was now Kuro Rin in their records. Wrin Black, in other words. Ember was Kuro Ember, and listed as my sibling again. Given that she looked a lot like my sixteen year old body from The Gamer and I looked like a half-Irish half-Japanese girl we stood out a bit. I was guessing we were half-siblings in any records that might exist, but wasn't sure there would be any more than was necessary to pass a quick inspection given that we'd chosen drop-in backgrounds.

Tokyo was crowded. Really crowded, at least near the airport. It felt like being back in Seoul, which was the most crowded place I'd been so far. It took a little while to find a place to scry for the Tendo Dojo, but once I had a secluded location to focus from I found it very quickly. The Amazons didn't question it, and I knew from prior knowledge that they had room for guests and a dojo. They could also use the money, if Nabiki's habits and Soun's apparent unemployment were considered. We teleported to an alley about a block away and walked to the dojo itself, then knocked on the front door. A beautiful brown-haired young woman with a serene smile answered. This could only be Tendou Kasumi.

"Hello? May I help you?" She asked. I handed Ryoga to Ember and bowed slightly, my hands held together in front of me.

"I hope so, miss. We're new in town and looking to rent long-term room and board. This place was recommended to us, since we didn't want to say in a hotel." The girl looked a bit taken aback, and closed the gate after murmuring that she needed to talk to her father. Ku Lon looked distinctly unimpressed, and Ember was chuckling at me.

"Don't make me find a way to lock that curse, little sister," I warned playfully, and she stuck out her (currently his) tongue. Thankfully nobody was around to witness our strangeness except the Amazons themselves, who were used to ignoring our banter after two hours on a plane, and Ryoga who'd fallen asleep. Guinevere had taken one look at the airport and discretely flamed away when the Amazons weren't looking, then somehow managed to find us again after we landed and was now watching from the top of a nearby home.

My enhanced hearing picked up Kasumi explaining the situation to a man, which was probably her father Tendo Soun. He seemed inclined to turn us away and recommend a few other places to stay when another female voice popped in and started lecturing them both about family finances and how expensive it was maintaining a property in Tokyo. Kasumi apologized, citing surprise at a group of five people appearing from nowhere and the shrivelled appearance of the terribly old woman in our group. That set Soun off about how they couldn't possibly turn us away without at least allowing us a chance to rest and providing refreshment. He sent Nabiki, the owner of the new female voice, off to fetch Akane. Footsteps approached the gate, one set familiar from before and the other heavier.

I exchanged a wry glance with Ku Lon, who also seemed to have heard the conversation. She looked a lot more amused than she did offended. When the gate opened again to reveal Kasumi and a mustachioed man in a dark grey gi, we smiled politely and pretended we hadn't heard a thing. He greeted us enthusiastically and invited us in for tea while we discussed the option of room and board, though he did say there were better places around to seek such things. When he asked who recommended the place I shrugged as if to say I hadn't asked for a name. His mustache twitched, but I was not adept at reading mustache twitches so I had no idea if that was good or bad. Ku Lon, Xian Pu, and Mu Tsu had brought their own house slippers, and I surreptitiously conjured some for myself and Ember.

Seated at the low table were two young women, one wearing a soft yellow gi and the other in casual clothes. Kasumi disappeared into the kitchen, and the young woman in casual clothes eyed us speculatively. I was wearing high quality clothing with unusual gloves, boots, bracers, and a golden watch. Ember wore the same quality clothing as I did, and the Amazons were all dressed in silks. She started negotiations immediately after we were seated, saying they had three rooms available and they'd cost us 200,000 yen per month each before food. I smiled, reached into my bag, and conjured a pouch of pure gold coins then dropped it on the table in front of her.

Soun looked annoyed at Nabiki, then intrigued by the pouch. Nabiki picked it up, opened it, and dropped it in shock to show the coins inside. Everyone at the table barring myself and Ember stared in shock, leaving me to break the silence.

"The pouch contains thirty twenty-four-karat gold coins, each weighing exactly three ounces. At current market price (I'd read a newspaper on the plane, and it had the current exchange rates listed) it is worth approximately 4,400,000 yen. That should cover our stay for seven years or more at the price you ask, though I doubt all of us will stay that long." I said this glancing at the Amazons, who I was sure wouldn't want to take any more of my help than was necessary given they'd pay for it eventually. The younger set were staring at me like I'd gone mad, and Ku Lon looked like she might be going into cardiac arrest. "Will that be sufficient to pay for five years and food? If one or more of us decides to leave early or stay later we can re-negotiate of course."

Nabiki moved like a snake, her hand grabbing the gold and making it disappear under the table so quickly I thought she might have pulled a muscle or something. She was nodding rapidly with stupid grin on her face, and Soun had gone kind of glassy-eyed. Kasumi, who'd just returned from the kitchen carrying a selection of tea and finger foods, merely stared. Akane looking happy but resigned, which meant their financial troubles had probably been worse than I expected.

"**YES!**" Soun practically shouted. "Yes, that will be more than enough for five years. Kasumi dear, please bring those refreshments over here while we discuss the rules of the house for your stay."

The tea was good, but the finger-food was great. I had no idea what most of it was, but it was delicious. My contributions to the house rules were that there be absolutely no cats allowed, that we as guests would have access to the dojo when nobody else was using it, that the door to the bath have a lock installed if there wasn't one already, and that people who wanted to smoke do so outside. Soun seemed reluctant to agree to the last one, but caved when Nabiki jingled the coin pouch under the table. The Tendos asked that we abstain from fighting in the house and respect the privacy of the residents and the laws of the land. When I pressed for details to ensure I didn't accidentally offend anyone they detailed a list of what I assumed were standard Japanese etiquette rules. The "no fighting in the house" rule Nabiki insisted on with a look at Akane prompted me to ask about magic.

"Magic?" Soun asked as the daughters scoffed and adopted doubtful looks. "You practice?"

I simply nodded and conjured a transparent force barrier around the table. A bit of prodding and poking convinced the skeptics it was real, then I dropped it and they inspected the space again. Soun asked for a moment to talk to his daughters alone, then took them to the kitchen and had a whispered conversation in which he revealed that he'd known magic was real because his master had practiced it.

He and his training partner had encountered it numerous times in the past, and it could be very dangerous or very helpful depending on the whim and competency of the user. The fact I hadn't needed any sort of incantation, motion, or spell component to enact the barrier indicated I was very competent and they should be very wary. Nabiki remarked that it also explained where the gold came from, if I was someone who went about going on grand adventures and hoarding treasure. Her voice had an undertone of lust in it, but I was pretty sure it was about the gold rather than the strange young woman at the dining room table doing magic.

Kasumi brought up the topic of safety around such a dangerous individual and Soun assured her that he was a good judge of character and I would be a well-behaved guest. I desperately tried to hold back a snort when he said he was a good judge of character, but had to pass it off as a sneeze when I failed. They murmured back and forth about the money for a bit, then came to the conclusion that they'd see how it worked out and be as polite as possible. Ku Lon and I both smiled as soon as we heard that.

When the Tendo family returned to the table the Amazons informed them they would endeavor find their own place in the near future, so I negotiated for the remainder of the money to cover me and Ember in separate bedrooms for the next ten years if that happened. Nabiki said she'd type up an agreement, and it was settled. We were shown to our rooms to unpack and told when dinner would be available.

-

The evening meal was spectacular. I read and signed the agreement Nabiki had typed up, the entire family looked very happy, and Soun happily sipped some kind of beer. He kept patting at the pack of cigarettes in his pocket, but went outside to smoke when he actually partook. Akane asked about what martial arts I practiced, and I told her I was near-mastery level in Tai Chi, Taekkyeon, and Taekwondo. That dragged the Amazons into the conversation and they ended up describing a bit of Amazon Wu-Shu and how their village functioned.

Soun and Akane brought the Tendo branch of Anything Goes Martial Arts into the conversation, and Ku Lon suddenly looked much more interested. She'd known the founder of the Anything Goes school after all, though she didn't say it.

It was when Ember spilled a bit of tea on herself and reverted to female form that things got interesting. The Amazons were barely fazed, but the Tendo family was shocked. They'd seen me demonstrate a barrier, but I hadn't demonstrated the curse or any sort of shape-changing ability to them. Deciding to treat this as normal and hopefully influence the rest of the room to do the same, I addressed my adopted sister.

"How does it feel to be back in your natural form, sister? Is there any discomfort or change to your magic?" Ember shook her head and cycled from the human adult form she'd taken in Harry Potter to her child form, then went through arctic fox and ninetails before settling on a copy of her cursed form. My eye twitched. That was cheating, and **that** meant I'd have to do the same at the first opportunity.

"No, brother. I'm able to change my shape again when the curse is inactive as expected and nothing else seems different." I nodded, and since I'd been reminded glanced over at the popup windows indicating the progress of my efforts to grind [Dispel], [Shapeshift], and [Remove Curse]. I'd hit level 103 with [Dispel], which surprised me as I'd thought all skills evolved at level 100. Going through the remainder of the notifications indicated that [Shapeshift] was now level sixty-eight and [Remove Curse] was approaching 100. I cleared the notifications and looked back at Ember.

"I am still unable to change, but making progress. It is disconcerting being locked to one form again. I'm glad hot water works for you, at least. I will need to take a trip tomorrow to track down some things that might help us return to full capability."

Ember nodded at that, not knowing a whole lot about Ranma except that it was among my favorite series and trusting that I knew what I was talking about. Akane was gaping like a fish, her worldview knocked on its head as she tried to come to grips with the both of us evidently not being one gender or the other. She sputtered a bit, but finally managed to get out a question.

"What? How? And how are you ok with this!?" I looked at the girl with sympathy and tried to sound serious while inside I couldn't stop giggling.

"Miss Tendo, as practitioners of magic we both gained the ability to change our shape years ago. Transformation is a difficult art, and we were recently cursed in China. Ember is still able to transform, but she has not yet overcome the hot and cold water triggers. My case seems to be somewhat more severe, but if my trip goes well that will not be a problem. Both of our cursed forms are human and we already had the ability to be whatever gender we wished, so this is more an inconvenience than anything else. I do wish I looked at least a better fraction of my proper age, though. Even twenty would be nice, but sixteen leaves the hormones in flux and causes all sorts of awkwardness."

Emotions warred on her face. Shock, disgust, awe, and pity were all there. The other Tendos were much the same, but with more control over their expressions. Soun narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, then seemed to remember something.

"You were cursed at the legendary training grounds of Jusenkyou? I'd heard the tales, but thought they were myth until now." I nodded in reply.

"Oh, they are very real. My guest here," I indicated the piglet, "is actually affected by a similar curse. When we're settled in I'll return him to human form and remove what curses I can. I'm afraid they're quite permanent unless you have the talent needed to circumvent them, which can take decades of practice. Even then I've actually been working to reverse mine since before we arrived, and every attempt teaches me something. It's going to take some time." Akane looked startled, and apparently hadn't noticed the piglet. Had I forgotten to remove the notice-me-not? I corrected my mistake and looked back the the family.

Soun looked saddened by the news at least one person was cursed permanently, but accepted my explanation. When he asked why I hadn't simply bought a home in the area I explained that Ember and I would only be staying ten years to learn from the local talent and possibly train an apprentice or two, and that the Amazons had business with someone coming to this area to had received a curse identical to my own.

-

Ryoga looked up at me pitifully when I brought him into the furo, explaining it was time to change him back. I conjured a stream of warm water, and he grew to a muscular sixteen year old in front of me. He did his best to cover himself, but his clothing and equipment was still in my inventory. I withdrew them and handed him the clothes he'd been wearing when he was cursed. Since he'd heard my explanations and seen my magic first hand, he simply took them dressed as quickly as he could.

"So...what now? You're some kind of witch...err...wizard, right? You can remove at least some of the curses I'm under? And maybe teach me to overcome the last?"

"That's right. I prefer the term mage, but calling me a witch in this form is not entirely inaccurate. It has negative connotations that I don't appreciate, but it's not completely wrong either. You seem to be under two mind affecting curses in addition to the one you acquire at Jusenkyou. One of them seems to have a primitive teleportation spell added to it. Those I can remove. As far as teaching you to overcome the shapechange...how long are you willing to remain my apprentice? I will only be in this world for ten years, and it may take you longer to learn. It's also a magical discipline, and would take time from your martial training." Ryoga paled at that, then slowly replied.

"That's depressing, but does explain my sense of direction. My father had it too, and when they married he said my mother started doing the same thing a year later. I haven't seen either of them in...five years now, I think? As for training… whatever you want me to do, I'll do it. Anything to never turn into a piglet again." I studied him intently, nodding along as he spoke. He looked a little embarrassed at the scrutiny and started to fidget.

"You will see and feel a warm silvery light. Removing that particular curse will be more difficult than I anticipated if it affects the entire family, and we'll need to figure out a way to remove it from your parents as well to ensure it doesn't keep reasserting itself and passing through generations. Since these affect your mind you may want to sit down." He nodded and sat cross-legged on the floor, then I started the process. The moment the [Holy] light touched him he looked like he'd forgotten something, but after fighting the Jusenkyou curse enforced by Washu for days breaking a family curse was practically child's play. His expression cleared and he put a hand to his head as if dizzy.

"That was...it felt really weird. It's all gone now, except for Jusenkyou?"

"Yes. And I can help you with that even if you can't overcome it yet. Being a piglet must be dangerous, but I can enchant your bandanna to help with that."

Ryoga stared at me blankly, then reached up to untie the bandanna around his forehead and inspect it closely.

"This is a family heirloom. Please make sure you don't break the enchantments already there. My grandfather got it from a traveling salesman who said he was out of towels, but always having a bandanna might do in a pinch."

I nodded solemnly and took it from his hand. It looked a lot like the one in my inventory magically-speaking, but mine was a solid dark purple where his was yellow with odd black spots. I added a selective aversion charm courtesy of the Potter-verse to prevent people and animals from trying to eat him, an enchantment I hoped would store his clothing and equipment when he changed then return them when he changed back, and complemented it with a selective barrier to it that would react only to things that might threaten the wearer's well-being.

I wouldn't have been able to do this before Hogwarts, since I'd been thinking of magic mostly like science. Really it was all about power, intent, and knowledge in that order. If I already knew how to do what I wanted I needed less intent and power, but if I didn't I could substitute that lack of understanding with extra power. Such was the case with intent-based spells. I was learning them slowly by studying how the magic settled down when I forced it to work with power, but it would take time.

Ryoga took the bandanna back when I offered it, re-tied it, and told me he was in my debt and would return as soon as he'd heard from his parents. I handed him his backpack and umbrella, which got a raised eyebrow since it was weighted with lead. Ryoga Hibiki walked off into the night with a contemplative look on his face, headed for once in his life straight where he wanted to go: home.


	23. Chapter 23

The next morning I woke up early and asked Akane to spar with me when she returned from her morning run. She readily agreed, and went to change into her gi. We both held back a lot but it was great fun. I used only normal martial arts, since I didn't want to expose the fact I'd learned Anything Goes when I started the Jump. She eventually worked up the nerve to ask me about my curse and how I was coping, and I did my best to put her worries at ease.

"It's complicated. I'd grown used to male hormones and had decades of experience controlling them, so everything feels just slightly off. My senses have changed a touch, and from what I can tell I'll have a monthly visitor. Ember promised to help me when it came to that. I just pity the poor boy who fell in the spring right before me. He looked about your age, and won't have as much life experience to help him cope or a female role model unless there was someone else lurking around that I failed to sense. It will probably impede his sexual development as well, since he'll essentially be going through two versions of puberty at once." Akane winced at that, and seemed relieved that I hadn't been offended or anything by her question.

"That's terrible! I'm sorry you have to go through that. It's hard enough just being a growing girl and going to school with a bunch of idiots, but to have to try and figure out both at once? I think I'd go insane!" She laughed, dodging several strikes and trying to push me into a corner where I had less room to dodge.

"Indeed. Becoming a man was a difficult time. I'm told becoming a woman is more difficult, but at least this time I have some form of maturity on my side, eh? I should anyway. I've lived something like sixty five or seventy years now. It's difficult to really put a number on it when you've been subjected to time-warping magic. Now what's this about going to school with a bunch of idiots?"

Akane's surprise allowed me to land a soft hit to her stomach, and I stepped back to wait for her to recover from the shock of what I'd said.

"You don't look a day over seventeen," she replied cheekily, and we both laughed. "There's this boy at school, Kuno Tatewaki. He took over a school even last week and told everyone in the auditorium that they had to beat me in a fight to get a date with me. I'm not even interested any of them, but a bunch of boys started attacking me every morning and they seem to think I'll do whatever they want if they win!" She was crying at the end, and my look was dark. I pulled her in for a hug, whispering that I'd speak to her father today and the school tomorrow. Such things were never acceptable. She stiffened at the contact at first, but between my being in female form and apparently being far older and more mature than her she relaxed into the hug and cried herself out.

-

The lock on the door to the bathing area turned out to be a good idea. The residents weren't used to having others around, and Akane tried to enter while I was bathing after our spar. I called out to her that I would be finished soon, and she said she'd be back later. When I left a few minutes later she was coming out of her room and looked a little embarrassed. I just gave her a reassuring smile and told her not to worry about it, then headed down to breakfast.

Kasumi's cooking was once again amazing, but I was starting to wonder if anyone else did any of it. Since I had an errand to run I decided I'd pick something up on the way home. If nobody wanted anything I could simply keep it in my inventory. Wasn't there still a bunch of pizza and cake in there? And a chicken. I kept forgetting to find a place for the chicken. Perfect memory did not mean perfect thinking, clearly.

With breakfast out of the way and a gesture from Ember to clean the dishes, I announced that I had something to speak to Soun about, and after that there were some errands I had to run. Kasumi looked stunned at the display of magic for such a task, and looked at Ember pleadingly. Ember turned to me, her expression asking if I really needed her for this trip. I shrugged slightly, and she turned back to Kasumi.

"Would you like some help, Miss Tendo? There's a spell for just about every chore, from cooking and dishes to washing and mending the clothes. If you have the talent I might even be able to teach you." Kasumi looked like she was going to cry in happiness, and I asked Soun to meet me in the dojo. When I described to him what was happening to his youngest daughter he looked furious, but learning a Kuno was behind it caused his shoulders to droop. He looked at me sadly.

"I knew she was having trouble, but I had no idea it was so serious. Unfortunately the Kuno family runs the school, and they're very rich besides. I might be able to dissuade some of the students, but there's nothing I can do about the boy himself," he said.

"Why don't we walk Akane to school tomorrow and speak to both the boys and whoever's in charge? I can be very persuasive, and as you saw from how I paid you I'm not without resources. It's Friday, so tomorrow should be a half day for her right? Or has my knowledge of the Japanese school system failed me?" I asked with a smile.

"That would be acceptable Miss Black. Furinkan does half Saturdays, but not all schools here do. Thank you for helping my daughter."

"That's perfectly alright, Mister Tendo, and please call me Wrin. When I return to male form you may call me Wren. I may look sixteen but I'm probably in my seventies by now, and I know something like this will only get worse if it's allowed to stand. No one should be victimized so, even if they have the strength to overcome it."

"Then you must call me Soun. Is miss alright when you're like this? Or should it always be mister?"

"Address me as you like, Soun. For the sake of appearance miss is probably preferable." I shrugged, and we both laughed a bit as we puzzled over pronouns. I'd been using a mix of English and Japanese since not all of the ideas I was trying to convey worked well in Japanese, but he seemed to understand me well enough. It was probably part of the weird Jump-Chain language thing Washu had told me about. The intended respect was conveyed properly, and I was getting a lot of feedback about the language.

Soun left the dojo to talk to Akane, and I began scrying. There were some artifacts I needed to find, and between Savant granting me perfect memory and having been obsessed with the series for a fair amount of time it shouldn't take me too long to both help myself and prevent some future problems by taking them. I was a little concerned about the morality of taking the Locking Ladle from the Musk, but the way they used it made me shudder and I couldn't help but justify it to myself as necessary for my own training. The only other questionable item was the Nanban mirror: it had been stolen from Ku Lon's people long ago by Happosai, the Grandmaster of the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. I wasn't sure if I could bring myself to give it back, given how useful it could prove in the future.

My first destination was Mount Horai to retrieve the artifact needed to unlock my curse. The Kettle of Opening or Pot of Liberation, depending on the translation, was atop a very tall plateau and encased in a kettle-shaped fountain made from stone. It took all of three seconds to find it and only a few minutes to get it out of the fountain, during which I came into contact with water from the kettle itself.

[Quest Complete! Break the lock on your curse!]  
[Quest Update! Take ALL the things!]

I took the time to repair the fountain so it looked like I hadn't been here before scrying for the next most important item on my list. People might visit for the scenery, after all. If they could climb the cliff and get through the forest of vicious poo-flinging monkeys. Come to think of it I probably could have left it looking broken. There was no sense in breaking it again though, so I moved on.

Next I was looking for the Wishing Sword that Kuno found in the series. Scrying revealed that it was at the head of a huge line of people, each of which was trying to pull it from a stone. I sighed, cast an illusion over myself to look like Hwan Sung-Gon, and teleported nearby. The line was really long, but moved pretty quickly. They charged me admission, too. The stone itself was only vaguely magical, and the sword's magic didn't seem bonded to it. I surreptitiously dispelled the magic on the stone as I approached, then easily removed the sword. After many congratulations I put the damn thing in my inventory and determined to ask Washu what I could get from it when I was done locating the rest of my shiny targets. I heard her snicker in my mind, which was actually becoming kind of comforting at this point.

[Quest Update! Take ALL the things!]

I had to be cautious with the next one. The Nanban mirror allowed the user to travel through time and space at the cost of a single shed tear, but it was also part of Happosai's collection of stolen magical items in the source material. Unleashing Happosai early was a risk I was willing to take, but would rather avoid. I scryed for it, and thanked Washu that it was in a cache hidden in the woods outside Tokyo. There were no sealed caves or ancient perverts in sight, so I retrieved the entire cache except for the lingerie. Happosai would happily murder anyone who destroyed any of his "silky darlings," but he might not even notice his other stuff was gone. The Ultimate Weakness moxibustion scrolls were there too, which saved me a lot of trouble.

[Quest Update! Take ALL the things!]

When I showed up to the Monkey Mountain Temple looking for the enchanted gi from the series one of the monks literally threw it at me. Then he threw a swivel chair and a wallet at me too, telling me to take the damn thing and never come back and I could have the rest as souvenirs.

[Quest Update! Take ALL the things!]

I was still hesitant to go after the last item on my list. If I took the ladle now then Prince Herb might never show up, and I would also be seriously interfering with the way their tribe lived. Did that really matter thought? If Herb never showed up Ranma didn't have to fight him, and if he did I intended for Ranma and myself to both be trained well enough to handle it. There was also the option of offering to return it or switching to lethal combat as a last resort. As for the way his people lived...I really couldn't condone turning random animals into women with the cursed springs then locking them into that form to be used as breeders. I activated the scry spell

Since I knew what I was looking for and roughly where it was but not much more, it took almost thirty seconds to find the artifact. The pail and ladle sat on a shelf surrounded by other mystical nonsense, but the room and the shelf both appeared to be unwarded and there was no one in sight. I teleported in, put the bucket and ladle in my inventory, made sure I'd left no physical or magical traces, and left.

[Quest Complete! Take ALL the things!]  
[You've gained a level!]

Well, that was awesome. It'd been awhile since I gained a level. Was there anything else I could acquire easily? The Umisen-ken scrolls were at Ranma's mother's house and Kumon Ryu would have the Yamasen-ken. He was a douche in the original timeline, but also had a somewhat legitimate problem with Genma. I decided to try find him with scry, and when I did I saw he was being very manly.

No, not that. He was wrestling a bear. I'd never actually seen anyone do that before, and it looked as overly macho as it sounded. I still wanted to try it myself one day, just for fun. There was a scroll on Kumon's back and no other apparent supplies evident, so he probably had a camp nearby or some sort of hidden weapons trick like Mu Tsu.

Regardless, I waited patiently for Ryu to choke out the bear then teleported in roughly thirty meters away from him. He responded by slashing at the air in front of him with his hand, sending a vacuum blade at me. Rude. The manga had made these attacks look like waves of air, which was kind of misleading. There was barely a ripple indicate the pseudo-project visually, and it lit up oddly to my energy sense. I stepped out of the way and leveled my best irritated look at the young man. Looking like Sung-Gon, it should have been fairly effective.

"That was uncalled for."

"What? Who are you? Where did you come from and what do you want?"

"I've come to make you an offer for the scroll on your back," I told him, deliberately not answering the other questions. He raised an eyebrow, then started laughing when I failed to elaborate.

"You want the scroll? The thing that destroyed my home and killed the last of my family? Why exactly should I give it to you?"

"Because I'm prepared to offer you a pouch full of gold coins for it, which would go a long way toward rebuilding your home or buying a new one," I replied. At the mention of gold his posture suddenly changed, and he no longer appeared to be just humoring me. I reached into my pocket and conjured a bag much like the one I'd paid the Tendos with, and there was no negotiation after that. He took the gold, gave me the scroll, and dragged the unconscious bear off into the woods. Maybe he was hungry?

After teleporting back to the temple I scryed for the home of Saotome Nodoka of Japan, mother of Saotome Ranma and wife of Saotome Genma. Her home quickly swam into view, and I focused on locating the Umisen-Ken scroll within. Nodoka had done nothing to me, and even if her husband was an offensive cowardly child-abusing idiot taking the scroll would be harming the family rather than the man. It was destroyed in the series though, so making a copy shouldn't do any harm.

I could either go myself and basically invade someone's home, or I could see how far I could push [Scry]. If that didn't work I would either give up for now or actually ask to see the scroll. I was almost guaranteed a negative answer, but it was the polite thing to do. I should probably wait on that until I knew Ranma, actually. If could convince him to become my apprentice he could talk to his mother and ask for the scroll with the excuse he was training to overcome an ancient curse to excuse his lack of "manliness" imposed by said curse.

Attempting to scry on a rolled-up scroll and actually read the diagrams and text was incredibly frustrating. It took me several hours and a few creative uses of my ability to see outside the normal spectrum of light to copy the whole thing. The ink of the scroll reacted differently to ambient light and heat than the rest did, but discerning the differences and turning them into something I could copy was tedious enough that I was grinding my teeth within half an hour. Gamer's Body was going to save me a lot of money on dental visits.

When the copy was finally finished I received a prompt to learn the skill like I had with the Yamasen-Ken but declined it. These would need to be copied and preserved first. Even if I remembered them perfectly I wanted there to be another hard copy when I was done. [Conjuration] solved that problem, and testing revealed that both the copies gave me the prompt so I stored one copy and absorbed the other to learn it. My [Stealth] and [Mystical Energy (Concealment)] both shot up, and I was pleased.

[Quest Update! Learn ALL the things!]  
[Remove Curse success! Jusenkyou curse (Spring of Drowned Girl) is broken!]  
[Alternate form attained: Ranko!]  
[Quest Complete! Break your curse early!]

Even better. The idle processes I'd left running with [Multi-Focus] had finished breaking the curse, I suddenly looked like Lina Inverse, and I now had a reliable alternate form as Ranko. I went back over the messages and cleared them, with [Dispel] now being at level 107, [Remove Curse] at 105, and [Shapeshift] at eighty-seven. There was a message that since I'd passed level fifty of shapeshift I could now create "buds" by forming living things attached to me then removing the connection, but that Washu had restricted that use of the skill in accordance with rule #10 since such things could technically be considered my children.

It was approaching dinner time, so I teleported to a store I'd seen when we were talking to the Tendo home and picked up a bunch of groceries for myself and Ember then a bunch of generic Japanese foodstuffs to help out the Tendos. The Amazons would have to feed themselves or accept whatever Kasumi made. It wasn't like I hadn't paid for it, after all. I shifted back into Ranko form in an alley and teleported back to the dojo, where I found Guinevere napping on the roof. That bird reminded me entirely too much of Fawkes, and for some reason my wife. They both seemed to love sleep, at least. That was probably it.

Dinner was amazing, and either Kasumi was amazingly talented for she had a latent talent for magic. She waved the dishes clean herself and clapped happily when it worked. Ember looked on proudly, and I smiled. Kasumi was awesome, and as Ember's apprentice she'd go far. I quietly deposited the groceries I'd bought for the house in the kitchen after I found where they went, then invited Ember up to our room and broke her Jusenkyou curse. She shifted to look like my current form with a mischievous smile, and put her hair up in a ponytail to differentiate between the two of us. I'd keep my hair down then, so people could tell us and Ranma apart just from that. The rest of the night was spent re-enchanting my remaining equipment with my new skill level and duplicating it for Ember. If we were going to be twins, we'd be **good** twins.

-

When we came down for breakfast the next day in identical Ranko forms and demonstrated we were no longer affected by water, Akane cheered and Soun and Kasumi both looked relieved. That was a bit less potential chaos around the house, if nothing else. I prompted Soun about Akane and he notified her we'd be walking with her to school to speak to the administration. If any boys bothered her they would answer to her father and a very annoyed mage. She looked both pleased and embarrassed, but that was to be expected of a teenager in an awkward situation.

The walk itself was fairly peaceful, with Soun and Akane discussing how she was doing in classes so far and what she thought of high school. I noted the medical practice of Ono Tofu on the way for future reference and shot a dark look at a gaunt boy going the same direction when I noticed him staring at Akane. He averted his eyes respectfully, and I wondered if he was Gosunkugi Hikaru from the series. If it was, perhaps his obsession would lessen with contact? I'd ask Akane later what she thought of him. It was her life and unless she asked I would try not to interfere too much after this. Making her aware of the boy would be enough.

When we arrived at the school the aptly-named Hentai Horde charged, only to stop dead when Soun used a ki technique to look like an oni and started yelling at people. They turned and fled why I levitated into the air and surrounded myself with an aura of fire. Akane looked on, speechless and red in the face, as the adults (even if I didn't look like one) shared a look and dropped the techniques before proceeding into the school toward the administrative office. She followed sedately, expression unreadable. A boy in a black hakama and blue top stood open-mouthed with a rose at his feet, watching as we entered the building.

The assistant principal seemed surprised to see us, which meant that either Soun hadn't called ahead or they hadn't believed he'd show up to follow through on whatever threats he'd made should his daughter be treated poorly. He tried to fob off responsibility on the absent principal Kuno, but neither of us allowed it. He was to call an assembly of the students involved, where we would address them. Any who acted in such a disgusting way toward Akane after that would be dealt with harshly or we would be back to press charges against both the individuals and the school itself. Akane would have been mortified if she'd stayed, but we'd sent her off to classes.

An announcement was made over the P.A. system and the assembly called. Soun spoke first, saying that as a member of the prefecture council he was both disappointed and disgusted that such behavior had been allowed. Both the council and the police would be involved if it continued. I declined to speak, citing that Soun had everything well in hand and my intimidation tactics from earlier would get through to anyone without common sense. I'd walk Akane to school for a few weeks, at least. In the audience surrounded by her friends, Akane's face burned red but she smiled nonetheless. She and two of her friends, Yuka and Sayuri, stayed behind to thank us and introduce themselves.

My demonstration of magic had apparently spread through the school on wings of rumor at near the speed of light, and they were very curious. I conjured a bit of water and demonstrated hydrokinesis for a few minutes before the nervous-looking assistant principal came up to usher them off to classes. He spoke to Soun and I a bit more, apologizing for his reluctance to act and explaining that until we threatened to get the law involved he'd had very little opportunity to straighten out the delinquent behavior of the Kuno scion due to his influence. If the father ever tried to take him to task for the incident he could now truthfully say he was protecting Kuno interests by keeping the law out of it. Soun and I were both unhappy with the explanation, but understood. He left for home, and I left to check on Ryoga.

Behind us rumors circulated of the "Red Witch" that had accompanied Soun Tendo, and Kuno was very conflicted. His hormones said one thing, while his very-much below-average common sense told him the opposite. Guinevere watched me walk away from the school, and silently took wing to follow.


	24. Chapter 24

The next two weeks were quiet. It was almost like the series hadn't really started yet. The Amazons found a business lot to rent and moved out, so I talked to Nabiki and we got the ten year agreement signed instead of the old five year arrangement. Ryoga got home just fine and found a lot of letters from his parents, but no sign they themselves had been there. His dog was happy to see him at least, though I have no idea how it was alive unless they had some sort of industrial sized automatic food and water dishes. The house must have smelled awful. Or they had a dog door and the yard smelled awful. The Tendos went out to visit the grave of Soun's wife and the sisters' mother, leaving me and Ember alone in the house for the first time in a show of trust.

Deciding a good deed wouldn't go amiss on a day of mourning, we utilized the Homemaking Skills perk to prepare a meal and do the non-personal chores while they were away, then went about practicing on our own. I created an instant dungeon of the Tendo property and sat down with [Elemental Bending] to improve my physical and cold resistance, [Holy] to heal me from any damage I took, [Haste] to waste mana and grind the skill, [Mystical Energy (Generator)] to make up for said mana, [Flight] to hover and gain additional levels, [Illusion] to create independent copies of me moving around doing different kata, [Impart Knowledge / Tutor] (combined Pokémon psychic skill and Tutor Gamer skill) to start teaching Ember [Multi-Focus], [Transmutation] to start learning how to change other things around rather than just myself, [Mystical Energy (Mastery)] via the leaf-sticking exercise, and [Shapeshift] because I wanted to be a damn dragon! No, not a Ranma ½ dragon. A Dungeons and Dragons style gold dragon.

It was going to take a while, given how little progress I was making just getting magic-resistant golden scales without slipping into other techniques. Since I was using all the free effort granted by [Multi-Focus] that was gaining experience as well. Ember picked up the basics of [Multi-Focus] pretty quickly, and started healing herself and hitting herself with levitated objects to gain the [Physical Endurance] skill while listening to me talk about more techniques. After [Multi-Focus] I switched over to teaching her [Shapeshift], then [Illusion] when she got that one almost immediately. When she got bored we practiced the [Umisen-Ken] against each other in a very odd variant of Marco Polo, which ended up granting Ember [Mystical Energy (Sense)] and [Mystical Energy (Efficiency)].

The days Akane had school I would walk her there in Ranko form, usually having to glare or otherwise intimidate Gosunkugi, Kuno, or both. Given the fact I could literally conjure gold I didn't bother getting a job, but I did borrow a few books from Dr. Tofu and lend him some of mine. His texts on pressure points and moxibustion were especially informative. The Tendos themselves opened up a bit and became more accustomed to magic.

Ember negotiated with Soun for us to be taught the Tendo branch of Anything Goes since she was teaching Kasumi magic. We hoped that would eventually lead to us acquiring the Tendo ki-weapon manifestation technique and get Soun off his ass about teaching at the same time. Being on the council wasn't a full time job and didn't pay much.

We knew they'd been having financial trouble both because of the conversation I overheard and because things around the house suddenly started getting better when Soun found a museum to buy the coins. I hadn't been thinking about it at the time, but I'd unconsciously added some ancient Greek iconography to them I'd seen in The Gamer universe and people were freaking out because they were the heaviest most pristine gold coins ever found from that place and time. Three ounces was a lot more gold than most ancient coins used, and I'd conjured them that way because it was what it said in an old Dungeons and Dragons book. I kind of wondered what would happen if they ever tried to carbon date them or test for purity, since I'd conjured actual pure gold. Even in my home world in 2017 nobody had ever seen 100% pure gold, and this was 1989.

"_I fixed it for you both times, but you really should watch out for these things_," Washu's voice sounded in my mind. "_Three ounces? Really? If I'd left them pure gold with no discernable aging you'd have turned the jump into a crime drama instead of just confusing a bunch of archeologists!_"

Oh. Well that was...less than ideal. I wondered again at just how awesome it was to have a helpful Jump-Chan, and sent a hearty thanks back to Washu. I received telepathic gloating from her shoulder puppets in return, which was disconcerting. Moving on.

Akane was coming along nicely in her spars with me. I was still using only real-world martial arts, but I'd been slowly increasing the speed and strength with which I fought to let her adjust. Given that she was an Anything Goes practitioner, she'd also started to integrate some of my own moves into her style. It was a beautiful thing to watch. The Tendo Akane of the anime could have easily come across as a bipolar violent nutcase who was more often than not angry at the world. While the Akane of the manga was less violent toward Ranma and less liberal with the mallet, she still wasn't happy very often.

The girl I practiced with was thrilled to have an experienced partner to practice with who didn't have any interest in anything but friendship and mutual improvement. Her father hadn't actively taught her in years, so the few tips about adjusting her stance now that she was older lit up her face with happiness. The progress she was making was supernaturally fast by the standards of my first life.

When we talked about things other than martial arts Akane especially seemed to be interested in gender identity issues and what it was like to be one or the other. It didn't seem like a personal thing to me; more like curiosity, but it was hard to tell. She did give me and Ember appreciative looks when we used the Ranko form, but she also eyed Ember in male form. Hormones were weird, and aside from talking to her when she wanted it I was going to try and stay away from Akane's.

The whole "romantic and even sexual relationships are encouraged" thing was kind of worrying me, actually. I'd been living like a monk as it were since I started the Jump-Chain, and the older I got mentally the less sure I was about starting any sort of relationship. I knew I'd have to get over it eventually. Both Ember and Washu teased me when they caught me looking at someone like that, but thankfully only in private or when it wouldn't cause me to visibly react to the joke. They both thought I needed to get laid, and while I didn't disagree with the idea I had violent objections to the practice. Washu reminded me I'd likely be at this for at least a couple hundred years, more likely in the thousands, and I wept a little inside. I didn't want to be a dirty old man/shapeshifter! No I did **not** want to know what the age of consent was in 1980s Japan! This problem would actually stick with me for quite a while. Even Guinevere started to notice and kind of draw my attention to attractive young women, and I still couldn't figure out what was going on there.

Ember and I settled into a routine. In the morning I would help Kasumi with the cooking, then Ember would help her clean up with magic and teach her additional shortcuts and spells to do chores until they were finished. I'd walk Akane (and Nabiki, since she was no longer leaving early to run a gambling ring) to school while they cleaned up. If anyone bothered the girls on the way into the building they'd meet the "Red Witch." If that kept up I'd probably earn another title soon. With the school day settled I'd teleport back to the Tendo Dojo and practice with Ember and Soun when he was available and willing. We were both picking up the Tendo family art quickly (or I was pretending to, but adding techniques I didn't know as we went) and would practice on our own when he wasn't.

I picked up the Yamasen-Ken and started working on it in instant dungeons, which reminded me of the destruction that plagued the Tendo household after the Saotome family showed up. Studying a bit more on Harry Potter wards, their method of making things unbreakable, and cushioning spells allowed me to slowly ward the entire Tendo property to significantly soften blows against surfaces and make them unbreakable at the same time. There were common household wards in there to deter pests (I added cats to the list of pests, even though I loved the critters in my first life) and fire damage too, but they hardly used any power at all. The wards themselves were anchored to both the home and to conjured blocks of granite I sunk beneath the property to make them more resistant to dispelling magic. For power I anchored a bunch of energy gathering and generating effects to the stones since the ley-lines in the area weren't conveniently located. This had the side effect of becoming an ad-hoc air conditioner, since the energy gathering mechanisms considered anything above about 21 degrees celsius (about 70 degrees fahrenheit) to be excess energy.

-

Tendo Kasumi seemed exceptionally pleased with the changes to the household brought about by our arrival. Between learning magic, receiving help with the chores, Akane calming down, and Nabiki stopping most (but not all) of her illicit money-gathering activities the smile on her face was always bright, sunny, and sincere. I'd always gotten the impression from the manga and anime that she was barely holding onto sanity by her fingernails, and while I couldn't be sure if that had been the case prior to our arrival she seemed to be very content now. She'd started talking about going to college and possibly medical school, and had visited Doctor Ono Tofu quite a few times. Her smile was a little brittle after those visits, and twelve days into our stay I heard her crying on the couch when I came back from some errands.

There didn't seem to be anyone else in the house at the time, so I sat down beside her and asked if she wanted to talk about it. A teary confession of love for the doctor was followed by an explanation of how he always got very nervous and started to act very strangely whenever he noticed her. She'd seen him from afar and he always seemed very kind and composed, but whenever she tried to talk to him or even just approach him he went insane. I did my best to console her, saying she would find someone who could appreciate her without acting like an idiot and offering to talk to the doctor on her behalf. She brightened a little at that, but I couldn't help thinking this was more of a long-term crush than anything else. It also brought to mind my own romantic troubles, since Tofu was thirty-four and Kasumi was nineteen. Guinevere glided into the room and began to sing a soothing song, which actually put Kasumi to sleep.

I dried her tears with a cosmetic spell and conjured a blanket over her, then let her slump down onto the couch from her position sleeping against my shoulder. I still wasn't terribly well versed in Japanese culture, but a breakdown like that in any culture implied significant emotional turmoil. The fact that she'd been willing to talk to me about it was also telling. I left Guinevere singing softly to Kasumi and went to visit the clinic, where a few patients were actually waiting outside looking slightly alarmed.

When I entered I found Tofu dancing around with a replica skeleton and generally being a danger to everyone around him. I approached cautiously and mimed tapping a pressure point for sleep that I'd read about, but actually used a spell to induce the effect. It was easier for me to control that way. After storing him in the office I glanced at the patients and sighed before conjuring a lab coat and asking Washu for a favor. A variety of certifications and educational records were updated in accordance with my Medical Genius perk, and I placed them on the wall with sticking spells before asking the patients to come back inside. I would be filling in for the good doctor until he recovered.

Most of the residents of Nerima were apparently quite used to the general weirdness of the area by now, so a sixteen year old girl with medical degrees taking over for Doctor Tofu during one of his episodes went without comment. I figured out how to regenerate and rejuvenate various different types of tissue that day with precision applications of [Holy] instead of letting it wash over the whole body, and covered it by saying I'd studied some radically different things than the local doctor had and we were studying each-other's' techniques. When the last patient of the initial crowd left I took some time to scan Doctor Tofu for curses and the like. I was disappointed not to find any, as that would have made his idiot routine easier to fix. I woke him up by countering the sleep spell.

"What? Wrin? What happened?" He asked as he sat up.

"A certain young lady came to talk to you and you flipped out, putting both her and your patients in danger. Not to mention yourself. Do you have any idea what this could do to your practice? I handled the rest of the patients that were waiting and came to wake you after. Yes, I have the qualifications and I've added them to the wall display temporarily. Now explain what the fuck you thought you were doing."

Tofu went slightly glassy-eyed remembering Kasumi's visit, but the mention of putting people in danger sobered him up. He looked lost, almost hopeless, and thanked me while moving to make some coffee. I waited patiently for him to begin speaking, and what I got was a frustrated rant filled with self-loathing.

"Kasumi...is a lovely girl. She seems to like me a lot, and not in a completely platonic way. It...I've been the Tendo family's doctor since they were all very young, and while I like her I can't get over the age difference. It's driving me mad! My mother is always harping on me about getting married and Kasumi would be a wonderful wife, but it feels so wrong! It'd be legal, sure. That doesn't make it right! The episodes started about a year ago when I realized how serious she was about all of this and that I couldn't stop thinking of her as both the little girl I'd once known and the woman she's becoming. She's been so persistent that I haven't been able to fully calm down and meditate in months, since I'm constantly both on alert and fighting an internal struggle to figure out what to do. If it keeps up I may have to leave Nerima entirely!" I laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a consoling look as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Believe it or not, I know how you feel. Despite my appearance I'm something like seventy years old, Doctor. Having lived with subjective time for a while makes the exact number difficult to determine, but I've been living without romance or sexual relations for over thirty years. It's not fun, and if I don't do something eventually I'll drive myself up a wall just like you have. Let's go over this rationally, shall we?" The Doctor nodded, not even seeming phased by my age. "You and Kasumi both like each other, but you can't find it in yourself to show affection for her beyond that of a family friend. Is that correct?"

"Yes," he nodded, wiping his face with a towel after washing it in the sink then moving to clean up the clinic area, probably for something to do with his hands. "I feel disgusting whenever I realize I'm thinking about her as a woman. It's like being attracted to my niece or something."

"And you can't talk to her about it because those feelings overwhelm you and logic goes out the window?" I asked,

"Something like that. I've been looking into what the episodes could be, but so far the best I've come up with is a combination of panic disorder and hysteria. The mind is not well understood, even in the medical community," he said bitterly. I contemplated the options available to me for a moment, and decided that this was probably something I could help with. Even if it hurt both of the parties involved in the short term, the long term benefits should outweigh that. If I made a mistake I would do everything I could to fix it.

"Doctor...I know of a technique to keep people calm. If you and she were both able to stay rational and talk about this would you be willing to try explaining the situation to her? The situation itself is obviously painful and the talk could prove moreso, but I think in the end it would be for the best," I asked cautiously. He looked at me pitifully for a few minutes before nodding and asking I perform the technique on him immediately as a test.

I shaped my will into a variation of the cheering charm from the Potter-verse, and let the resulting mana settle over him. As it did the tightness around his eyes disappeared and he slumped a little.

"That technique must be both useful and dangerous. I could see myself coming to rely on it like an addiction," he said quietly. I nodded, thinking of how similar it was to Gamer's Mind and how that had affected me in the years since I'd acquired the ability. When I asked if he wanted to follow through with talking to Kasumi he considered it for several minutes, then nodded. I told him I'd see if I could bring her by that night after dinner, and that I'd call him from the Tendo home if plans changed. He seemed to accept it and moved to tend to a patient that had just arrived, so I set the spell to last until around midnight then slowly fade and took my papers with me as I left.

Kasumi was still asleep when I got back, so I went ahead and prepared a bit of American comfort food: grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. If Kasumi didn't like it I still had cake, pizza, and a few Japanese meals in my inventory. We ate in silence after I woke her for the meal, then I told her I'd convinced Tofu to come over that night to talk about things. Her face went red and her expression turned to a mix of alarm and sadness, which took quite a while to talk out. I wasn't really qualified as a therapist or counselor, but I like to think I did pretty well. When I told Kasumi about the calming technique and how dangerous it could be long term she thanked me, but said she'd rather not use it unless it was necessary to get through the night's events.

After that she just seemed to want to keep busy, and alternated between doing chores without magic and reading a novel. The others arrived home from their various tasks and noticed the somber mood, but said nothing to me. Kasumi probably answered a few questions, since Soun mentioned the doctor was coming over after dinner just before the meal started. Guinevere had been following me around the since I got back from the clinic, sometimes singing soft comforting notes to help keep the mood from turning too sour and Ember was more than happy to give me a hug when I needed it. I didn't want to use Gamer's mind for this if I could avoid it. Emotional development was important, and being unable to empathise during a conversation like what was coming could be detrimental.

The talk with Doctor Tofu went about as well as I'd expected. I'd eased back the strength of the calming spell on him to allow them to work things out between themselves, and there was very little yelling. I waited outside and did my best not to listen in, but there was a lot of crying and I'm pretty sure Tofu got punched a couple of times. The break-up, if one could call it that, was emotional but final. The doctor recommended Kasumi and possibly the rest of the Tendos see me for her medical needs until he could find someone to take over his practice permanently, and that he would start the process of relocating but that it could take some time. He knew I was only in the area for a planned ten year stay, so he never asked me to be his replacement at the clinic.


	25. Chapter 25

After the emotional upheaval of the issue with Doctor Tofu things settled down for a few days. The Tendos themselves banded together to provide emotional support for Kasumi, then again for Akane when it turned out she was having a hard time coping with the news too. I kind of wished I'd cleared the issue up earlier, since I knew the whole family was going to be throwing into chaos again with the arrival of Ranma and Genma. Anticipating the event, I cornered Soun and told him about the two being cursed and a summary of the situation with the Amazons. He seemed troubled, and the anticipated missive arrived the next day. A family gathering was called, and Ember and I were asked to sit in.

"I received a postcard from a dear friend today, saying that he and his son were returning from China," Soun started once everyone was seated. He looked to me then, and continued, "Their names are Saotome Genma and Ranma. It was our intent that our children would carry on the Anything Goes school by marriage, but if what you say is true Ranma is cursed to be a woman. Is his locked like yours?" I glanced around. Kasumi was worried, Nabiki was thoughtful, and Akane looked a little green.

"I do not believe so. I've looked for him and his father with my magic and seen him as both a young man and a young woman. **He** is relatively handsome and **she** is our twin," I said indicating myself and Ember. "He wears his hair in a braid, where I prefer mine down and Ember either assumes male form or wears hers in a ponytail, so there is some difference at least."

"Then the engagement is still possible?" He asked excitedly. I looked at his daughters, who were all trying to glare holes in him.

"It might be," I replied. "He may not get along with your daughters, he may eventually become locked in his female form as I was, or he may be sterile. I am not entirely familiar with local custom, but your daughters also appear to be somewhat opposed to the idea."

"You're damn right we are!" Akane roared, with Nabiki nodding along. Kasumi looked down at the table, unsure. "You were going to engage us to some random boy without even asking!?" Nabiki turned to look at me.

"You said he was handsome?" I looked thoughtful for a moment, then made a so-so motion with my hand. I wasn't the best judge of male attractiveness.

"I'm not the best judge, but he's in good shape at least. No weird blemishes or anything. His dad turns into a panda, now that they're cursed." All four Tendos looked a little incredulous at that, but moved on. Soun started the conversation back up.

"It's a matter of family honor, girls. We swore to unite the two branches of the Anything Goes Martial Arts school. One of you will have to marry him!"

I hmm'd to myself as they argued. Ranma should be here any minute, according to the source material. How could I make this easier on everyone without derailing the plot to the point Genma just decided to run? There was a possibility Ranma would become my apprentice and eventually learn to control the change which would provide motivation to stick around, but I didn't want anyone to feel forced into this whole marriage thing. Ah! That might work.

"Mister Tendo, did the agreement specify when or how the schools had to be united? Was marriage between your children specifically mentioned? And did you make any plans for if your children were all the same gender or anything?" He looked a little put out at being interrupted, but thought hard for a moment.

"I don't remember," he replied sulkily. "We were drunk." The shouting started up again, so I used [Illusion] to silence the whole group until they looked back at me.

"So what you have is an agreement made between two men who were inebriated that you don't remember the details of. Were the mothers involved in this decision?" He shook his head. "Then the agreement isn't really a family one at all, nor is it formal. Unless you have it recorded somewhere, which might change things. My grasp of the local culture is still not what it should be, so please correct me if I'm wrong."

I felt like I was saying that a lot lately. Kasumi and Akane both looked terribly relieved. Nabiki looked at me approvingly, then back at her father.

"Is there a written agreement, daddy?" When Soun again reluctantly shook his head Nabiki fist-pumped. "Yes! That means this thing is totally optional for us!" And with that I may have completely destroyed the plot. "If Daddy and Mr. Saotome made the agreement but don't even remember how it goes, it can't be be honored! Since there's no written agreement, it can't be recovered!" Soun teared up a bit. It seemed like he'd been really hoping this would work. I spoke once again.

"So if my understanding is correct, what honor was on the line is potentially already lost since the agreement was made while drunk and the details forgotten. The gist of it still remains: your fathers want to unite the schools. I've only seen Akane practice so far, but the schools could be united if either she or Ranma were to learn the opposite branch. Passing those teachings on would also be in the spirit of the agreement, but not required. " Soun latched onto that idea like a drowning man after a life-preserver. He didn't seem to register that I meant for **him** to teach as well, though he might have noticed and not cared since he was already starting to teach me and Ember.

"Yes! Akane and Ranma will train together, and maybe get married too! If the combined schools are passed on, the agreement is at least partially fulfilled!" A knock sounded at the door.

"That must be him!" Soun shouted, then bolted for the door. He came back in backing away from a panda carrying a redhead that looked exactly like me and Ember except for the clothing and the way she wore her hair. Kasumi calmly got up and put the kettle on, while Akane and Nabiki hid behind me.

"Are you sure the panda's his dad?" I nodded, and conjured a spray of warm water. The panda turned into an overweight balding man with glasses, and the girl grew a bit into a young man. Genma put him down and Ranma looked at me, then down at himself, then back at me. His puzzled expression was cute, I had to admit. He scratched at his face with one finger.

"I'm Saotome Ranma. This is my old man, Genma. Sorry about this."

Soun hugged him and started rambling, while the girls gave him evaluative looks. Genma stared at me, one eye twitching. Ember left the room stifling giggles, and I started the whole talk about the agreement over again with Genma. The girls glared at him whenever he tried to object, and Ranma took their side immediately. The man didn't have a copy of the agreement and had in fact never told his wife about it so it was decided by everyone except Genma, who just sulked, that the agreement itself would be enforced in such a way that one or both heirs would learn the opposite school and combine them. Marriage was optional but encouraged, as it was more in line with the fathers' original intent and would allow the family home and dojo to be passed on with a smaller tax impact. That last part didn't seem to be very important anymore, and I wondered again how much money Soun had gotten for the coins I'd conjured.

-

With Ranma and Genma staying in the third guest room and Genma obligated to get a job to help out (Nabiki insisted), the Tendo home and dojo got a lot more interesting. Ranma seemed pretty interested in learning how to control the curse but was a little wary of messing with magic, but Genma bullied him into accepting my offer to become an apprentice. When I walked the younger set to school and people saw Ranma looked a lot like me there was some explaining to do, and even though he didn't want me to I demonstrated the curse in front of the school and Kuno to ensure there was no confusion. I also placed a water-repelling spell and a backup barrier on him keyed to water such that there would be no incidents in any locker rooms, for which he was quite grateful.

After school I met a fuming Ryoga leaving the building and informed him that Ranma was my second apprentice and I was only waiting on a third from the Amazons before I started teaching them formally. He was unhappy with the news, but wanted control over his curse enough that he agreed not to disrupt lessons or incapacitate Ranma beyond my ability to heal quickly. That wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but I settled in to wait for Ranma and Akane nonetheless. Ryoga had challenged Ranma to a fight, and stayed with me still looking grumpy.

The fight itself was fascinating to watch. Ranma was much faster than Ryoga, while Ryoga was much stronger and had a slightly wider variety of techniques to call on. When he started throwing around razor-sharp ki-enforced bandannas I shielded the crowd and yelled at him for endangering them, which actually stopped both fighters for a moment. Akane was having a quiet breakdown after barely dodging out of the path one of the blocked bandanas would have taken straight through her neck, and I circled the now-continued fight to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Eventually both fighters ended up in the fountain and I called it. Ranma was reluctant to stop, while Ryoga was both angry and grateful since he'd turned into a piglet and Ranma was still human. His clothes reappeared on him when I hit the two of them with hot water, Ranma's protections from earlier not having been enough in the face of nearly-full submersion. A drying charm and some magical landscaping left the two cursed individuals a little happier and the field looking quite similar to how it'd been before the altercation. The teens headed for home and I headed for the address Ku Lon had given me last time we'd spoken.

The Cat Cafe looked like it was almost ready to open, and the remodelling crew had already left. Xian Pu and Mu Tsu were arguing about something I didn't care about, and Ku Lon seemed to have figured out a way to sense me as she met me at the front door. When I asked about it she told me I was leaving a subtle void in the ambient energy, but that every time she was me it was less obvious. I nodded and resolved to check on the description of [Mystical Energy (Concealment)] again to see if there was anything I could do to accelerate the process of becoming invisible to the supernatural.

The conversation was fairly short, with informing her that Ranma had accepted the proposal to be my apprentice and us discussing how to make that work with the village laws. She conceded that she'd have to teach us both at least a few Amazon techniques to make everything official, but the magic the tribe was gaining had been enough to sway the council to rule in favor of the whole plan if I could persuade Ranma to participate. Since I had, Ku Lon had some calls to make and an apprentice to select to train under me. None of those present had Jusenkyou curses so while they could learn it wouldn't be as immediately useful as sending someone who **was** cursed. I just asked her not to send anyone who turned into a cat. She looked at me oddly, but all I had to say to explain was one word "nekoken." She paled.

"You?" I nodded, then added a bit more information.

"Ranma too, I think. His father really isn't the brightest." Ku Lon shook her head in horror and muttered under her breath about putting the warnings before the actual techniques, which earned a laugh from me. I'd been reminded of several instances of the same error in the Potter-Verse and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly Doctor Strange. Do not use animal hair for polyjuice potion, indeed. She shot me an odd look, but didn't ask what was so funny.

Three days later Ku Lon told me Xian Pu had finally gotten fed up with Mu Tsu and used some spring water they'd brought from the village as part of Ku Lon's luggage. Mu Tsu now turned into a duck, and I had my third apprentice. I was kind of disappointed that the lack of female representation, but Ranma would have to do. As the teacher I didn't count. Also I wasn't entirely certain I was one gender or the other anymore. Shapeshifting tended to blur the lines, and I'd been through a hellishly embarrassing experience that was a little damaging to my lingering sense of masculinity. Thankfully the products required were easy to conjure and Ever-Cleansed mitigated a lot of the mess.

Washu said the whole thing was a learning experience, and I that I shouldn't run away from it. Regardless, I was very tempted to turn back into a guy, identification showing me as female be damned.

-

My schedule shifted after that, with afternoons being devoted to martial arts tutelage by Soun and teaching my teenage students how to access their mana. Some careful tinkering and a lot of theory had allowed me to mimic the method Ember had used with Kasumi. Using knowledge we'd gained through study and various [Mystical Energy] abilities she had found a way to ignite a small spark of magic using ki, at which point the body and spirit sort of adopted the spark and started it growing. It was pretty similar to what had happened with my divine energy when I created [Holy], actually.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Mystical Energy (Awaken)!]

Some careful application of medical knowledge [Transmutation] and [Holy] corrected Mu Tsu's eyesight when it became troublesome during lessons, and he was tasked with documenting the process in return. Having a common (and interesting) thing to study, Ryoga and Ranma both helped a bit and Ku Lon started the editing process and asking questions when necessary. As they learned, so did I. The mixed energy my students produced as a byproduct of having both mana and ki looked a hell of a lot like the descriptions of chakra in my books related to the Naruto-Verse. They were missing something, bet the behavior was nearly identical.

All three took a break when Akane needed help training for some sort of gymnastics competition, but it only took a few days and seeing them cooperate like that was amazing for someone who'd read the manga and watched the anime. Mu Tsu and Ryoga had both hated Ranma, but between the changed circumstances, the shared interest in my teachings, and the discipline I enforced they'd become friends of a sort. Oh, they still fought. Ryoga had found out Ranma was the one to accidentally push him onto the unstable ground that led him to fall into the Spring of Drowned Piglet and was not at all happy about it. Mu Tsu was still a little jealous of Ranma since Xian Pu kept eyeing him like a piece of meat, but he didn't seem to realize that since he'd stopped bothering her and gotten his eyes fixed the girl gave him the occasional once-over too.

Ku Lon took the time the boys were helping Akane to set me on the task of learning Amazon Wu Shu and the Breaking Point technique, since I already had a working knowledge of ki and was now formally allied with the tribe. The oath not to teach anyone in that world that wasn't family and require anyone taught to take the same oath helped too. I didn't really benefit much from the endurance portion of the Breaking Point training, but the technique itself proved invaluable. It allowed me to see weak points in inanimate materials with a little focus, then cause them to either blow up or fall apart by injecting energy in those weak points. Since it had transformed into a Gamer skill when I'd first succeeded, I was a little worried about the implications. The description said it might evolve to work on living beings with enough practice, which was something it couldn't do in the series itself. I wasn't sure I wanted this skill to reach level 100. Either way I'd need to practice it in a quarry or instant dungeon to avoid significant property damage.

[Quest Update! Learn ALL the things!]

When my students returned and my tutelage under Ku Lon slowed I started them on [Mystical Energy (Sense)] as a way to build up to the fine manipulation they'd need to use in order to control their curses. They would advance much more quickly if they were well trained in seeing and/or sensing what they were doing, after all. I'd decided early on that they would need the technique and some form of control exercise in addition to their mana pools to shapeshift with any reliability. They'd also need some rudimentary medical knowledge to reduce the strain of the magic trying to compensate for the lack, then they'd get their hands on the actual technique via observing Ember's unshielded aura when she performed it.

I'd have them conjuring light and changing the color and brightness for the first control exercise in strength, then move on to changing the color and material of small objects for finesse in shaping the mana itself and seeing how changes were applied to non-living objects. Safety lectures would feature heavily, and I'd transform the boys myself so they could learn to change back before I let them experiment with changing themselves. Until I said they were ready they were never to practice without me around. Ember taught them [Holy] at some point, and I started hearing them murmur about me being a minor kami of some sort. Since it was either laugh or cry, I let them catch me in the form of a pure white kitsune surrounded in a [Holy] aura one day.

-

Late June of that year we started having problems. Kuno was apparently determined to find a weakness and defeat the Red Witch so I'd stop interfering in his pursuit of Akane and corruption of the populace. It hadn't happened quite like this in the manga, but he eventually found out from Nabiki that I'd negotiated for cats to be banned from the Tendo property for the duration of my stay and started getting obnoxious about it. I loved cats, but the Nekoken drawback made me terrified of them. Since he couldn't seem to coax any onto the Tendo property he started leaving raw fish and catnip along the route we used when I walked the kids to school. The first time I spotted one I reflexively teleported the poor thing into the canal beside the road. The yowling of an unhappy kitty suddenly exposed to water set me on edge and Ranma had actually climbed a tree on the opposite side of the street.

More and more cats started appearing in the coming weeks. Some were herded there by Kuno retainers and employees, while some were simply attracted to all the delicious fish and mind-blowing catnip around the place. Ranma snapped first, entering the nekoken state then a territorial rage that pushed the cats themselves straight toward me. My mind blanked, and I woke in the form of a housecat curled up in Ember's lap with Guinevere singing from her shoulder. Ranma was faced the other way shivering in fear, and I would have gone back into the berserker state if not for Guinevere's calming influence giving me enough time to turn into something else.

My revenge against Kuno was fairly simple, but I have no idea if he ever faced any actual consequences for the mess. I let the council know who'd been leading all the stray cats in and dirtying up their nice neighborhood with raw fish and catnip, then donated a sizable sum of money to animal control to relocate and sterilize the ones that were still in the area. Spay and neuter operations were performed in bulk, and with the money donated I was told most of them found good homes. I wished it had been all of them, but I knew feral cats were difficult to keep as pets in the best of times. I suspected they were actually downplaying the number they'd had to send to the Tashirojima to try and make me feel better about giving them money. At least none of them had been euthanised. Being sent to live on an island with thousands of other cats wasn't so bad.

Ranma's reaction to finding out such a place existed was hysterical. He went white as a sheet and swore never to go there if he could help it, even going so far as to mark all of his travel maps with warnings. We were both teased for a while until I started explaining the process of learning the nekoken to people in private. Genma got a lot of glares for doing that to Ranma and a few people (Soun included) offered to get the household a big dog to keep the cats away. I mentioned that I'd warded against them and got a few odd looks, but they went ahead and got a pair of dogs anyway to come with us when we left the Tendo compound. Not wanting to admit to a weakness Ranma very rarely went out with his beyond the need to care for it, but I named mine Mister Fluffers in English and took him with me just about wherever I went. Everyone else called him Tadashi. It didn't matter to me though, since he came when I called for Mister Fluffers.

Ku Lon started training Ranma with me after that, and we both got to experience sticking our hands in a campfire to retrieve roasting chestnuts. I ended up having to deactivate my [Energy Affinity (Heat)] to achieve the necessary motivation, and both of us made liberal use of [Holy] to heal ourselves in between bouts of practice. We did manage to learn the skill though, and it was amazing. For me it was a passive boost both to my dexterity stat and basically everything dexterity did that could be scaled up by using it actively. I was finally starting to approach being anime-style ludicrously fast, and actually did leave behind a plaid aura with [Illusion] once or twice for laughs. Nobody seemed to get it except Guinevere, who fell off the building she'd been watching me from howling in the bird equivalent of laughter. I was starting to get very suspicious of that bird, but Washu just snickered at me whenever I started talking about her.

[Quest Alert! Learn ALL the things!]

Late July brought with it a trip to the beach for the entire household. Even the Amazons showed up. It was an exciting weekend full of weird contests and people hitting on the red headed triplets of Ranma, Ember, and myself. I practiced walking on sand without leaving footprints as a variant of the chakra control exercises I'd been learning, then on the ocean at night since it was significantly more difficult than using a still pool of water or the various rivers and canals around Tokyo. Skills leveled up and people had fun, then Genma got really drunk and started stealing things from the other people on the beach and we left with Ranma dragging an unconscious panda along in the sand behind us.


	26. Chapter 26

The following month saw an increase in the general level of insanity in the Nerima ward of Tokyo. Ranma was paralyzed and abducted by a young man on a horse and learned Martial Arts Tea Ceremony to defeat a monkey in combat. A huge contest was held for Martial Arts Takeout, as in delivering food, and basically all the crazies in town (including myself and Ranma) participated. When I got to the end and gave Kuno Tatewaki his food straight from my inventory he was forced to declare me the winner even though he found me terrifying. I won a lifetime supply of fresh ramen, ironically enough from the Cat Cafe. I later asked Ku Lon to teach me to cook the stuff instead and keep the money the Kuno idiot had spent on the grand prize. I was pretty sure I'd end up in Naruto at some point, and there was no way I was going to finance his addiction from a restaurant even if I **could** conjure trade goods. I could conjure ingredients too, and cooking was fun. Besides, I planned to figure out a way to add a large garden to the warehouse at some point and it would be great to use fresh fruits and veggies.

What really sent the weirdness off the scale was Happosai showing up. The three-hundred-plus year old pervert in maroon sweats had finally broken out of the cave Genma and Soun had sealed him in years before while he lay in a drunken stupor. The shrine in the dojo had fallen and bounced, spooking Soun and warning him that something was amiss. The very next day the pervy old man showed up, standing all of a meter tall (much like Ku Lon) and carrying a bag full of ladies' undergarments. When Soun told him he couldn't stay because all the guest rooms were full he pitched an epic fit and started trying to poke holes in the decorative doors.

The moment he discovered that the doors were essentially invulnerable now he turned his eyes to Ember, the only being in the room radiating enough magic to have cast such a spell and asked Soun who the other guests were. When he jumped at my sister, whether to attack or molest her I'll never know, he hit a shield thrown up by one of my idle thought processes. I didn't even realize that was what had happened at the time, but I did stand up with my eyes glowing silver and a fiery white corona around my body. When Happosai only slid down the barrier and eyed me like he was trying to figure out how many brain cells I was missing I completely uncapped my aura by turning off [Mystical Energy (Concealment)].

The entire block was bathed in ethereal silvery light and colored motes of reflective pearl. Happosai dropped his pipe and bag in shock, and the Saotomes and Tendos backed away to the edge of the room with the exceptions of Ranma and Kasumi. They bathed in the light and felt refreshed, while Happosai himself appeared to be starting to smoulder. He dropped into a crouch before me and started apologizing over and over again as rapidly as he could speak, demonstrating the origin of the Saotome Crouch of the Wild Tiger technique. Ember pointed out to me as I slowly clamped down on my aura that I'd changed my appearance with a hand gesture to her face, but I wasn't overly concerned with it at the time. The letch would not be attacking or groping my sister. Looking was fine, speaking was less fine unless she was alright with it, but touching was forbidden without invitation.

As the last of my aura snapped back under my control I noted the exultant expressions on Ember's, Kasumi's, and Ranma's faces and the terrified looks of the rest of the household. With a slow exhale asked Happosai to stand. He was shaking, and it didn't look like an affectation. I knew I was powerful, but I hadn't let my aura loose since I started learning to control it in The Gamer universe. I'd learn afterward that my hair had gone completely silver, my eyes had looked like shining amethyst, and that everyone in the affected area had been healed to one degree or another. Plant and animal life flourished and grew unnaturally quickly for months after the incident. A wandering ghost cat had been banished from a nearby temple, too. I didn't care.

Happosai learned the rules of the house that day, and Ember had a long talk with the residents. When I finally calmed down enough to leave my room, I approached each member of the household in turn and apologized for the loss of composure and the display. Gamer's Mind hadn't kicked in because I hadn't **wanted** it to kick in. Ku Lon and Ryoga were filled in by Ranma and my secret was out. Within the week I was no longer the Red Witch. I was now the Silver Witch, the Lightbringer, or some sort of shape-shifting kami depending on who you asked.

Happosai moved into the attic to stay out of the way and offered to teach Ember and Ranma in earnest to make up for "attacking" her. After some discussion both accepted on the condition that they trained in male form to lessen the temptation, for which Happosai actually seemed grateful. He avoided me after that, but what he taught Ember she taught me during our own talks and training. My display may have rattled the old man, but it didn't stop him from harassing the rest of the district.

[Quest Update! Learn ALL the things!]

-

The Autumn school term started, and with it came a new face: Kuonji Ukyo. She'd challenged and beaten Genma then left him on the side of the road the day before, and she challenged Ranma after school. When asked what the challenge was about, she told a tale of hardship and woe in which Ranma and Genma had promised her ailing father to take her with them on their journey as Ranma's fiancee, then stolen the Kuonji food cart and ran away without her. Ranma's reply that he didn't remember any of that, only playing with her for a few days and then riding off on top of the cart with Genma pulling it only made her angry.

I heard most of this after the fact, since I didn't usually need to walk the kids to or from school anymore. Akane and Ranma were both skilled enough and mature enough to handle anything that was likely to come up, and Nabiki knew how to blend into the background so she wouldn't be caught up in such foolishness. If Ranma had still been Genma's student exclusively he would have accepted the challenge without question. As it was he had been learning from both myself and Ku Lon for around five months and had learned that honor could sometimes be restored with words rather than fists. Fists could always come later, of course.

A very irate Kuonji Ukyo was lead to the Tendo home and voiced her problems to me as the only adult home at the time. I vehemently disagreed with her assertion that Ranma was at fault, and told her that Genma bore the burden of replacing her cart and should make amends on his own. Ranma himself looked briefly annoyed at the implication that his completely uninformed decisions as six year old meant essentially nothing in this case, but could see where I was going with my argument. Ukyou retorted that her father had made her swear to become a Saotome or kill them as some sort of ridiculous dying wish [1], and I asked if she really wanted to be adopted by the man who stole her food cart and left her in the dust. She looked taken aback at that, and mumbled something about marrying Ranma. That was when it came out that Ranma hadn't even known the difference between girls and boys at the time, and was having romantic troubles of his own with both the Tendos and the Amazons competing for his attention.

I hadn't been aware he'd gone on dates with both Akane and Xian Pu until then, but was happy for him. The problem of Kuonji Ukyo was put to bed when I firmly explained that she could either try and make Genma adopt her, legally change her name, or join the race for Ranma but if she attacked my student with the intent to kill she'd also be facing me. The fireballs that started hovering around me when I said that and Ranma's look of alarm at trying to manage dating three young women at once seemed to convince the girl this was a bad idea, and she sighed sadly with a tear running down her face. It was cruel but necessary, I thought. I wouldn't leave her insisting she and Ranma were engaged like in the series or trying to kill him; it wouldn't do anyone any good.

When she left I followed her to the front gate, then made an offer. I couldn't make this right for her and Genma was in my opinion unlikely to repay the debt he owed her, but I could help her get back on her feet. I assumed she'd been wandering around with a portable grill and making okonomiyaki for spending money since her father died, so I would help her track down the stolen cart or get started with a new one and a place to stay. She looked miserable and asked me what I wanted for it. I shrugged and said I wanted her and Ranma to be happy, then took her back inside the gate and opened up a portal to my warehouse home for the first time since I started the Jump.

She gaped at it, but followed me through into the spacious and fully-furnished western home. When I told her she could stay for as long as she wanted before we found her a place she glomped onto me in a hug and cried her eyes out. I'd never really thought about it before, but the life of a wandering martial artist was essentially homelessness. She was a sixteen year old girl who'd been alone on the road for most of ten years, excepting those times she could find someone to take her in for a while. Even with martial arts and being a good cook she'd probably experienced some awful stuff out there. I made a point to bathe her in [Holy] light as she cried, healing what I could.

Mentally contacting Washu to purchase an endless supply of food and a few other things for the warehouse was easy, and she told me that Ukyo had been relatively lucky on the road. Her father hadn't been her only relative, and some cousins had taken her in until she was fourteen and they didn't have the room or money anymore. She'd struck out on her own with enough skill and supplies to fight off most any predator, be they animal or human. People had tried things with her, but she'd never let them get far. She'd actually been prepared to commit suicide after she killed Ranma and Genma, but hadn't been able to bring herself to finish the panda-man. Since she thought she hated them both, marriage was never an option in her mind until I started talking about alternatives to killing.

[Spent 80cp; 420 banked cp remaining]  
[Warehouse now has loft, extra portal, constant food supply for five, and is doubled in size]

I spent the afternoon helping Ukyo get settled into her temporary home, conjuring clothing and toiletries and the like as necessary. She fell asleep pretty early, so I went ahead and conjured a door and frame like I had in the Potter-Verse to hide the portal. Since it was in the outer wall of the Tendo compound and should have entered to the street rather than a warehouse in its own dimension it was going to stand out anyway, but I thought Ukyo would appreciate having a nice sturdy (and warded) door. I'd expand the warehouse home upward when I had some free time to add rooms and such. The loft extension was worded in such a way that the warehouse itself could be infinitely high, and Washu had used that interpretation. I hadn't been able to see the ceiling.

When I left the warehouse I scryed for the food cart, which took a while. I might have had better luck beating the information out of Genma, but honestly that man was going to be getting a ton of karma kicking him in sensitive places regardless of what I did. The local gods were more than capable of judging him without my interference. If he screwed up in front of me and it felt appropriate to step in to prevent it from affecting others I wouldn't hesitate, though. The cart itself was in an overgrown ditch, so I retrieved it and put it in an unused section of the warehouse as a project.

As I'd known from the series Ukyo studied Martial Arts Okonomiyaki, which I asked to learn enough of to help her train since she started showing up in the dojo for our early-morning and afternoon sessions. At the very least I wanted to figure out how to wield the Shovel of Light as a giant baker's peel. I felt like I hadn't beaten enough people with a shovel lately. I was the Shoveller, after all.

A rather large man came by with a bunch of dojo signs that week and tried to challenge the Tendo dojo for theirs. Genma and Soun deferred the fight to the students, saying if the man couldn't beat on or all of them he had no right to challenge the masters. Since I was technically a student of the Tendo branch and none of the others were home, I beat the tar out of him with my Shovel while his strange sign-manipulation techniques did absolutely nothing to the warded building or me. He left bruised and shamed without any of his signs because of some stupid challenge terms I hadn't bothered to pay attention to, and the fathers celebrated.

-

I created a wood clone and disguised it with [Illusion] before ordering it to return the dojo signs to the previous owners. I hadn't practiced the clone technique much yet, so the odd leaf or branch still stuck out sometimes and they weren't yet capable of using any of my non-druidic techniques. They also didn't return memories of what they'd seen and done like shadow clones did in the series they came from (Naruto), which I wanted to figure out at some point. Being able to be in more than one place at a time would be amazing, and being able to spam clones for training would be even better. I'm still not sure if the clone returned all the signs or not, but I did eventually hear about a large section of the Amazon Jungle recovering from a decades-long clearcutting operation overnight. I wiped an imaginary tear from my eye and muttered about my clones being hippie bastards just like me.

Wait. I'd been meaning to add a garden to the warehouse, and my wood clones could perform manual labor. I also had a bunch of skill and theory books about creating golems from the Black Rock stash I'd received in The Gamer. If I combined the abilities of a golem and clone, would I get a permanent clone that regenerated from anything but complete destruction? I spent my nights the next few weeks working on first creating a bunch of golems for construction and gardening, then helping set up my new multi-story hydroponics/garden area and giving the golems instructions.

Since the plants themselves would take time to grow and I didn't want to waste anything I took some of theory I'd learned and developed in the PokeVerse, the knowledge I'd gained from casual observation of my inventory, the techniques I used for teleportation, and some of the logic-skipping shenanigans from the Potter-Verse to create a deposit box at the bottom of the area that would automatically deposit the harvested products in my inventory. Each level of the gardens would have a place for the golems to drop things into the waiting box below, and the construction-assigned golems would continue to build additional layers using [Mystical Energy (Generator)]s and some pre-programmed [Conjuration]. By putting the entire structure against one wall of the warehouse (and asking Washu to ensure it would work) I allowed the construction to be anchored to structural supports and built arbitrarily high without risk.

A few additional golems were tasked with creating similar structural supports and columns for any other structures I wanted to stack, leaving the entire infinitely-high warehouse looking like an ever-growing atrium with space for structures to be built into each side. A few design sessions netted me a teleportation system that I could key people into for certain floors, and more golems were tasked with adding the functionality to each floor. There would be no infinite elevators in my warehouse, but I did make sure to include an infinite staircase just for fun. Each level had its own door to keep people from falling more than one floor, and each door was marked with the floor's number (one being the bottom).

My final task was to ward the entire place, which Washu had to help me understand the mechanics of since it was now infinitely large. Anyone looking up more than ten floors would see a sky reflecting the weather outside (or a dense fog with light streaming through, barring outside weather), anyone and anything that entered without permission would trigger an alert and be automatically dumped in a sub-dimension where time didn't pass, the air would always be clean and fresh, and the wards themselves would react to anyone other than myself who committed violence within the warehouse without my permission by either ejecting or imprisoning them as intruders. The power source for the entire thing was another sub-dimension I created using [Instant Dungeon / Genesis] and filled to the brim with self-replicating [Mystical Energy (Generator)]s that pumped out mana and [Holy] energy and linked to the walls, floor, and theoretical ceiling of the warehouse itself as a kind of massive faux ley-line.

Washu's help didn't stop at advice and explaining the way to ward my now-infinite warehouse, though. She herself stopped time to have several long discussions with me about what I'd built, and how it was essentially becoming my own godly realm. The more time passed the more power would accumulate, and the more power that accumulated the stronger the wards and my influence over everything within them would become. With a timeless prison dimension and an accelerated-time energy dimension overlapping the entire infinite structure I was well on my way. She did recommend I eventually create another expanding dimension of empty space to serve as the basis for any true multiverse I might want to create in the future.

When I asked her if that meant my journey was nearly over she snorted, then reminded me that she herself was immortal, capable of existing in an arbitrary number of places and times simultaneously, and possessed of enough power to bring into being multiple overlapping dimensions with arbitrary properties even down to the laws of physics and the creation and direction of life itself **before** she merged with her sisters, and I had to not only finish an end-Jump but eventually reach that level of power myself. Having not quite considered that before, I asked her how I could possibly do that with just the power of the Jump-Chain. The Gamer was unlimited yes, but with the way experience growth slowed and my stats were capped it could take millions of years or longer to achieve what she wanted. Washu actually grimaced when I mentioned the slowdown and my stats being capped.

"That's not going to be the case forever, Wren. The Gamer was merely a way to introduce you to infinite growth and possibility. It's how I started the seed of divinity in you. You'll eventually overcome the limitations built into the system when your power as a god grows stronger. It's already happening, just below the surface. As you grow even the rules of the Jump-Chain may be overcome. It will take time, but that time is finite. I made a promise to you when we went over the rules, and while even those rules may change with negotiation and power I will **not** prevent you from rejoining the one you love most."

I nodded sadly, the pain of separation coming back to the surface with the reminder. I'd done my best to bury it, but my devotion influenced nearly every aspect of my life and action I took. Perfect memory and perfect repression would never help me forget something I couldn't bring myself to forget, my most precious memories. In an effort to turn the conversation to another topic I brought up the Wishing Sword and the other artifacts I'd acquired in the Ranma-verse so far.

Washu started negotiations by offering to raise my choice point bank limit to 2000, 500 for each wish, for the sword. I argued that reality-warping artifacts were really freaking rare, and that if I worded it right I could in theory get all the powers offered by the Ranma jump including an infinite number of Weirdly Specific Martial Arts in just my first wish. I should get a bank of at least 10,000 points and it should be full. Washu blew a raspberry at me and countered that she didn't want to give me more power than I knew what to do with before had the maturity to use it. I'd have to either scale back or spend the time to actually get used to my new power somehow.

I pondered for a few minutes, then offered to lower the bank to 5,000 points (full), making my experience needed to level linear, and removing the cap on how far I could train my abilities. Washu shot me a look I couldn't interpret then turned and opened up a hard-light console in a language I didn't understand. After a few minutes of typing and looking at results she turned and nodded with a hand held out for the sword. I gave it to her, and it vanished into nothingness while a constricting feeling I hadn't even known was there eased around my core.

"Next?"

"Well, since you're giving me a full bank of 5,000 points I now have 420 to spend before time restarts or they're wasted, right?" I got a little smirk and a raised eyebrow in reply, then the catalogue materialized in front of me. I added Continuous Study from The Gamer to my list, earning a chuckle from Washu. The remaining twenty points I spent on adding a stasis pod to the warehouse. It would be nice to study if nothing else.

"I'd like to negotiate for the mirror next," I said pulling the item from my inventory. Washu held up a hand at this.

"The Mirror has a set value as per the Jump document's gear heading. It's an unusual interpretation, but it applies. There's only one Nanban mirror so it gets the fiat rules. You can either keep it or trade it in for 400 choice points." I blinked at that.

"What's the," I started before remembering the tidbit she was referring to. "You mean it'll respawn in the Warehouse if it breaks? And it'll work in other worlds? I'm not sure I want to get rid of it then." She nodded and motioned me to continue, so I put the mirror back in my inventory with reverence. I'd just wanted the unclaimed shiny, but this was amazing!

"Ok, so my other business was about the Kettle of Opening, the Locking Ladle, the twin staves that allow Saffron to ascend, and the source of the springs itself. Will the kettle and ladle work outside of the Ranma jump, and if they do work do they do anything other than unlock and lock Jusenkyo curses?"

"Yes they'll work outside of the Ranma Jump, but no they won't do anything else unless you duplicate the Jusenkyo curses with your own spells with the intention of allowing the artifacts to work with them. Then those will also be affected." I nodded thoughtfully, and Washu continued. "I'm also not willing to negotiate over them, the battle dogi from the Monkey Temple, or the ton of magical artifacts you took from the Death Eaters in your last Jump. You should probably either use them or get rid of them. The Wishing Sword was a potential problem, and you had a point about using it to get everything in the Ranma-Verse. The mirror had a value set for it. You'll need something else to bargain with if you want anything else." I hmmed thoughtfully, the started asking questions.

"I've been meaning to ask you a few things. I remember from The Gamer that Han Jee-Han was able to arbitrarily increase his mana through some sort of ki exercise. Can I do that myself, and if so would it just be a matter of focussing on said increase?" She nodded an affirmative, so I continued.

"Can I do the same for my health?" Another nod.

"What about my stats? Since I'm a shapeshifter I should be able to arbitrarily improve at least my physical stats that way, right? And since you uncapped them I could be arbitrarily fast, strong, and tough." A more reluctant nod.

"Ok, the next one's a little odd. I'm immune to fire and I have a special affinity for fiendfyre. Am I also immune to fiendfyre?" Washu's eyes glazed over for a moment before she nodded.

"Right. So I can combine skills and abilities based on logic, or even arbitrarily thanks to Gamer's Skills. If I were to make a [Holy] version of fiendfyre, would I still be able to control it as per the Fiendfyre Master perk?" [2] She gave me an exasperated smile at that and said she would tweak the perk to make it work. My fistpump turned the smile into a smirk.

"Alright, I think this is the last one: are you the one capping my precog or am I subconsciously doing it myself?" I asked. She looked at me closely, actually moving so we were only inches apart.

"That's not right. You're doing something with it but it's not being actively blocked. It's almost like...there it is! You've been subconsciously looking at it for clues about what to do, but haven't actively been watching it because you were...afraid?" She looked at me quizzically. "Why exactly are you afraid of knowing what's coming? It could save your life, you know. It's...it's been feeding into your luck! You've almost mutated the skill into a pseudo luck bonus!"

Well, luck was pretty nice, but was I afraid of using the precog I gained from Pokémon psionics? After considering the question for a moment I could only conclude that I was. But why? Picking apart the basic motivations for the fear wasn't easy and I'm absolutely certain I missed some things, but part of it seemed to be about being more disconnected from those around me than I already **was**. There were some serious questions of reliability in there too, since anyone else with precognition or the ability to mess with time could mislead me using it. When I voiced these concerns to Washu she actually smacked me in the head and said told me that was why I needed to level up the skill. My face burned, and I resolved to start on that right away.

Concentrating on [Multi-Focus], [Divination (Precognition)], and [Counter / Dispel] I started working out how I wanted the new skill to work in my head. A moment's thought brought the catalogue back and I purchased Nullification from the Potter-Verse to add to it. I wanted something that would look ahead for me but not bother me with actually seeing the possible futures all the time, so [Multi-Focus] was a must. [Observe] would allow me to identify the future threats and [Counter / Dispel] and Nullification would allow me to prevent anything supernatural that I didn't want happening. I could do more, though. It would make the skill harder to level, but I added [Barrier], [Elemental Bending], and [Telekinesis] to the mix of possible counters.

Washu watched me with interest as it all came together. A separate thread of thought with all my bonuses behind it would constantly monitor the immediate future around me, looking further out as it got more reliable. It would warn me of anything coming my way as a sort of danger-sense, but would also actively attempt to counter anything it could identify. Integrating [Haste] into the ability would make it able to enhance my reflexes when necessary.

The warnings themselves should enter the rest of my mind as a sense of where the threat was, how fast it was moving, and everything [Observe] could tell me about it. The precognition itself and [Observe] cost me nothing, but the [Multi-Focus] would lower the number of available simultaneous tasks I could perform and the counters themselves would cost MP, but since I was using something like 0.05% of the normal MP cost with the various energy mastery skills I had and my focus gloves I hadn't actually seen my MP bar dip in...well, it had been a while. The basic cost of the skill work be the cost of concentrating on it with [Multi-Focus]. I added [Scry] at the last moment to make sure I could observe things going on outside my line of sight, since observe didn't work very well with things I couldn't see.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Active Precognitive Defense!]

While I was at it I could dedicate a thread to using [Observe], [Copy], and a sort of local [Scry] to study the techniques being used around me and commit them to memory for later review. I also needed to continuously train my resistances to cold, radiation, and fire. In order to do that without attracting attention I'd need a skill to produce harmful radiation in a very contained way so that I didn't irradiate everything around me, but creating such a thing was simple enough. It would be a lot like what I'd done for [Elemental Bending] and [Illusion].

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Elemental Bending (Radiation)!]

I had a total of twelve free areas of focus available at this point, one of which would now be permanently assigned to [Active Precognitive Defense]. Using another to alternately irradiate, chill, and heat me would reduce that number to ten. I could leave the healing to my passive [Holy (Regeneration)] to level that up, and having dedicated threads constantly running would level up [Multi-Focus]. Washu had wandered off and was now sitting in a floating chair sipping a hot beverage and checking her console, but I was a little too busy to notice. There was one more thing I wanted to try. [Counter / Dispel] was an amazing tool on its own, but for specifically magical techniques the Nullification perk was far superior.

I played with casting my own harmless spells for a few minutes, observing how Nullification worked and comparing it to [Counter / Dispel]. It used an entirely different method. Where the skill I'd developed relied mostly on physical principles like destructive interference and other ways to counter energy that made sense to an engineer, Nullification either erased the energy entirely or suppressed it in a way I'd never seen before. Trying to visualize how it worked was giving me a slight headache, but the technique itself relied more on the conceptual parts of magic that analysis didn't do much for. Something clicked, and I conjured a stone on the floor of the warehouse, then twisted the concept I'd learned from Nullification just so.

The stone ceased to exist. It was a bit like the vanishing spell in how the effect played out. Next I conjured flame with [Elemental Bending], making sure to use [Holy] energy instead of mana or whatever I'd been using before. A twist in my mind as I watched the silvery-white flames immediately erased them from existence. When I conjured more I twisted in a slightly different way and watched as the flames went out but the energy powering them stayed.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Counter/Dispel (Universal Nullification)!]

With an evil smirk on my face I modified [Active Precognitive Defense] to incorporate the new . My new skill took more MP than I'd like, visibly dropping my total few a second or two just to erase or suppress things the small things I'd tested. More testing revealed that it expended between ten and 100 times the energy of a standard [Counter/Dispel] but was far more flexible and effective. The expenditure still seemed to scale normally with the strength of what I was getting rid of, and suppression did very interesting things to physical objects. They became ghostly, a bit like my [Mystical Energy (Body)]. Now that I was thinking about it I focused on divining what would happen if I performed the technique on my own body and got several possibilities back based on exactly **how** I tried to go about it.

If I did it wrong my body was destroyed and I was stuck in [Mystical Energy (Body)]. If I did it very wrong I didn't even get that far, I simply ceased to exist. If I did it just so...I became ghostly without a need for an energy form. I was unaffected by gravity and only able to move thanks to my other supernatural abilities. I made a note of that for future use, then bid Washu goodbye.

-

The days flew by after that with only minimal involvement on my part. I still spoke to and provided support for the people around me, but I didn't actively seek them out except for Ukyo, for whom I was essentially acting as a surrogate parent. Guinevere especially loved to spend time with the girl.

Akane got a part in a play, but backed out when it turned into a fight over who would play the Romeo to her Juliet. Ranma had offered to try out, but Akane said it would just make things worse and said she'd sign up for a community theater project or something where it wouldn't be associated with the school.

Ukyo acquired a stalker briefly, but a beating with The Shovel when he wouldn't listen to reason scared him off. Happosai started throwing firecrackers at people in the streets and was also beaten with The Shovel when he refused to listen to reason or the law. It really had been too long.

Akane ate some weird soup of Happosai's and started growing facial hair, but Ranma solved that one. Xian Pu brought over some ramen from the Cat Cafe and gave Ranma some "waterproof soap" [3] to use on their dates, since it was inconvenient having him constantly switching genders and attracting attention. Ryoga and Mu Tsu also got some of the soap and a copy of the catalogue to order more, if only to stop them begging for it.

Genma disappeared for awhile, which was kind of nice. At first I thought it was just about the soap, but Ranma eventually tracked him down to where he was living it up as some rich kid's pet panda. That had happened in the story hadn't it? Who the hell fed a panda food like that, anyway? A panda that ate human food and drank a lot of booze should have stood out more, I felt.

All the while I worked on improving the warehouse, fixing and improving both mine and Ember's equipment and the okonomiyaki cart, honing my energy affinities to cold and fire, and finding ways to improve my [Mystical Energy (Resistance)] and [Physical Endurance]. I was not only immune to extreme temperatures now, I actually gained health and mana from being exposed to them.

What finally brought me out of my daze of building and improving things was when Ukyo approached me with Guinevere on her shoulder, the former looking very nervous. That wasn't actually terribly unusual, as she often asked for advice or help with things that she really should have had all along. No, what made it stand out was that when time froze around us and Washu showed up they were still moving.

"Washu? What's going on? Ukyo, what's wrong?" The women looked at each other, not as strangers but as people who'd become well acquainted with each other. Ukyo determinedly strode forward to stand before me and asked me something that rocked my world.

"Wrin...Wren, will you adopt me as your daughter?"

[


	27. Chapter 27

"I...you're speaking English. And using the correct inflections on my name. And you're not paused like everything else." She nodded then shot a glance at Washu.

"Wren," Washu started. "There's something I haven't told you. Something that you'll need to know now, and may change how you do things in the Jump-Chain. It's also relevant to the situation at hand," she said with a gesture to Ukyo, who was staring at the ground.

"You remember how I told you I'd spoken to your wife before I set down the rules we agreed on?" I nodded, my heart heavy. "Well...I may have omitted some information in an effort to help you grow as a person." My gaze snapped to hers.

"What didn't you tell me, Washu?" I asked quietly. My eyes were wet, memories of my beloved flying through my mind with the knowledge that it had been decades since I'd seen her and would be centuries more. I felt like I'd break under the weight of that knowledge. Washu simply shared a look with Guinevere, who glided down to a stop on the ground in front of me. What happened next would have been forever imprinted on my memory without Savant, without a ridiculously high intelligence score, even without any form of enhancement at all.

My fiery familiar looked me directly in the eye, then began to flow and transform until the form of my most precious person stood before me. Her arms opened, and I flew into the embrace. My entire being was overcome with the joy of being reunited and the acceptance I'd seen in those beautiful eyes. I murmured nonsensically into her ear and wept freely. I had no idea how long I stood there revelling in her embrace, but eventually I pulled back enough to look into her eyes again.

"My love…#)$(** ." I stopped, then tried again. "#)$(** .?" It wasn't working. I couldn't say her name. I knew it, but couldn't say it. She smiled at me and shook her head.

"You can't say it. It'll be a while before we're ready for that. But good things come to those who wait, ne?"

"But..why? I know it, but I can't even seem to think it!" I cried. Washu looked away guiltily.

"Protection, my love. True names are powerful things for those with an inherently supernatural nature. Moreso for gods. Just call me Guinevere, or Gwen. Ok, not Gwen. I keep getting reminded of Spiderman's first girlfriend who dies every time to make room for stupid Mary Jane. I like Guinevere more. You know I like history and legends." I nodded, but couldn't stop crying. The overwhelming mix of emotions was just too much, but I would never dare shut it away.

"How long? How long have you been with me and I didn't even know it?" I asked desperately. I had to know. I'd killed people, let people die, and been at least part of the cause of such tremendous loss of life that I could never have imagined it before the Jump-Chain. That wasn't even counting the emotional damage I'd done neglecting the people I'd left behind. She looked at me, still with love but also with regret. She'd told me many times it was hard for her to see other people cry, especially those she loved deeply.

"I wasn't really here until a while after Guinevere became your familiar in truth. She's linked to your soul now, and I felt that…because she was a part of me. I watched over you as first Ember, then Misty, then Officer Jenny, Sabrina, Sung-Ah…" She trailed off. "I think part of me actually influenced Sung-Ah, since by the time you left she was madly in love with you even though she knew it would never work. Those people weren't really me, but I could watch you through their eyes, hear you through their ears, and feel you in their thoughts. Even now, this isn't the entirety of my being. I've got my own patron, if you don't recall!" I smiled at that, sure that she'd been up to all sorts of crazy stuff learning to be a super evolved space god thing. There was more hugging and a few kisses. I might have even snuck in a grope or two. She spoke into my ear as we embraced.

"Before you bonded with Guinevere she was a construct of the Jump-Chain itself. She was more an item than a living being. It was easy enough to co-opt her form to be near you, but I wasn't allowed to interfere except as she would have. I couldn't watch you all the time of course, but I hated not being able to see you. My mentor and Washu agreed it was in both of our best interest to take some time apart, but that we also shouldn't be separated the entire time. It was unhealthy, I think Washu said. There was also something about losing her test subjects to emotional breakdowns that turned them evil." She gave me a stern look at that. "I don't mind the occasional rampage if it's warranted, but you are **not** to start murdering people without reason husband of mine. Also: you need to get laid. Badly. I've never seen you go more than a few weeks without some form of relief, so what the hell are you doing to yourself? Seriously, I'm ok with you getting a little sexy-time. It's not like I've been pure as a Vestal Virgin, but I always have you as my goal. My mind is full of naughty ideas for our reunion and you'll be…happy. Very very happy."

My face lit up a brilliant red, and I could hear Ukyo choking on her own spit. I fought down the intense stab of jealousy with a combination of Gamer's Mind and logic. Mostly Gamer's Mind. Washu was giggling hysterically. I shot a glare at both of them through my lovely wife's hair, but it didn't do any good. Ukyo was just as red as I was and attempting to look like she wasn't listening in, while Washu was actually pointing and laughing now. I changed the subject, not even trying to be subtle.

"So….daughter? I thought that was against the rules? No children and all that?" Washu's snort was not helping my blush, nor were my vaunted shapeshifting powers.

"Yes, love. I approve. I don't want you spawning with anyone but me, but adopting someone who truly cares for you and you've come to feel the same for? That's not what the rule was supposed to prevent. Besides, no diapers or screaming for whatever disgusting things babies eat or drink at 3 in the morning? Sounds great!" I nodded slowly, then looked to Ukyo over...Guinevere's… over Guinevere's shoulder and gestured for her to join the hug.

"Welcome to the family, Ukyo. I hope you know what you're getting into." Her smile was breathtaking, and she charged into the hug like an overly affectionate rhinoceros. It was only my enhanced physiology and a little bit of chakra-sticking that kept me on my feet, though Guinevere didn't seem to be affected at all.

"_I've filled her in on what you're going through with the Jump-chain and a lot of your past, but she hasn't decided yet if she's coming with you. You've got years yet to talk that kind of thing out, and she's pretty attached to this world. Guinevere approves, too. You're a father._" Washu sent.

My strength buoyed by the tearful reunion and the hug I was sharing with my family, I nodded. With my love watching over me, be she near or far, I could do this. I would do this. For our family.

-

We spent what felt like hours together, Washu having summoned Ember at some point, exchanging the stories of our lives. Our fears, dreams, and ambitions were touched on but limited since Guinevere couldn't talk about anything after my Jump-Chain started except in the broadest of terms. My heart ached when it was time to say goodbye, but having that deep connection and knowing we were always together in a way brought me a great deal of comfort. When Guinevere disappeared this time it wasn't to some unknown place: I felt her, as if she'd fallen asleep and leaned against my soul for warmth. The flash of white light she left in was nothing like the fireball she used in phoenix form, and made me smile softly. I knew who, or at least what, her mentor was now. That had just confirmed it. She would be having fun as well as learning a lot.

Washu bade us goodbye and we appeared in my warehouse home, now expanded into a set of spacious fully-furnished apartments stretching infinitely upward. There were windows in the walls now, allowing the afternoon light of the faux-sky to illuminate the home more naturally than the electric lights we'd been relying on before. We'd still need those at night of course, but it was nice to get a little sunlight. I decided then and there that I'd be planting some trees and grass around the house to make it feel more natural. Examining my place in the story courtesy of Savant took a few moments, and I remembered that I also had some mushrooms to pick up.

While Ember and Ukyo slept I scryed for some prime specimens of Japanese horticulture, grabbed some seeds and cuttings, then did the same for the magical Kairaishi mushrooms that changed a person's age when they ate them. I was able to find the place they grew fairly quickly, but it took a lot of [Observe] attempts to find the particular mushrooms I was looking for. I found it curious that I still retained the inexplicable urge to kick mushrooms from before the Jump-chain, but it was easy enough to ignore. It had never been a great idea anyway, since mushrooms could be toxic and I was allergic to a lot of things including certain types of spores.

Returning to the warehouse and using [Mokuton/Plant Manipulation] to grow out a few rows of trees and grass was relatively easy, but figuring out the magic to keep the soil both moist and nutritious for the plants was trickier. I ended up relying on a lot of intent-based spells and copies of what I'd done for the garden, since I didn't actually know exactly what each plant needed and wanted to keep everything from growing out of control too. I didn't want to have to mow the lawn in my extradimensional warehouse, and golems were getting kind of boring. At the thought of the golems, I teleported up to the first unused portion of the garden and started using [Mokuton/Plant Manipulation] to grow more of the Kairaishi mushrooms. Those would be a valuable resource in the future, I was sure.

As the sun started to rise in the faux-sky I stopped in the house/apartment to make Ukyo some breakfast and do a little cleaning. Homemaking Skills turned a little cleaning into doing all the laundry, sweeping all the floors, etc. as well. I wasn't about to fight having a clean home. Since Ukyo still wasn't up yet I decided to really put the perk to the test. The entire warehouse was my home, right? So if I started cleaning an infinitely large space...nope. Damn. I tried the rest of the apartments next, and found myself suddenly standing at the top of an infinitely large series of squeaky clean apartments with no mana and a lot of used cleaning supplies in my inventory. A little under a minute later I was back to full and ready to teleport back to the bottom.

My new daughter (that was going to take some getting used to) was up and eating, looking around the freshly cleaned apartment appreciatively. She looked ready for school except for the fact she was wearing the male uniform and a giant baker's peel on her back. Eh. My little girl could wear what she wanted as long as she didn't get arrested or attract attention she couldn't handle. I wondered briefly if that made me a terrible parent, and amended the requirements to also not show any of her naughty bits.

"Good morning, Ukyo! Would you like me to walk you to school? Do you need anything? I can show you around the rest of my home when you get back if you like." She jumped, and I remembered that I wasn't usually very eager to engage with people. She'd also been alone for a long time before I offered her a place to stay and someone to look after her.

"Um...good morning. I know where Furinkan is by now, but thanks. So, do I call you dad now? How do you want this to work? Guinevere and Washu talked to me about it and kind of prepared me for the extra weirdness in your life, but I still don't know how to do this. I hated my dad. Or is it mom when you're like this?" She trailed off, looking adorable and unsure. Also uncomfortable, but that was understandable.

"Ukyo, you're my daughter now. I can't exactly register it with the local authorities since my legal identity here is...you know, I never bothered to learn my birthday here. I'm sixteen-ish. Anyway, you're my daughter. If you want to call me mom, dad, Wrin, Wren, or even 'hey asshole!' I'll probably be alright with it. Do what feels comfortable. Except that last one. Unless I really deserve it," I finished with a smile. She giggled and nodded shyly. I really hoped I was cut out for this parenting thing. Guinevere and I had never had any children before I was scooped up for this adventure. On that note, I had a surprise for the young woman at my table.

"Daughter...wow that feels strange. Good, but strange. Ukyo, I have a surprise for you. I've been working on it for a while, and I think it's ready."

"Ok...dad. What is it?" I smiled kindly at her, and gestured for the door to the rest of the warehouse. I'd been keeping the cart pretty close by but not in the home, since I didn't want to get any sort of mess inside. She followed me, and when we turned the corner so she could see the cart she stopped. A look at her expression said she didn't believe what she was looking at, but she approached it slowly anyway. Tears started to build as she slid her hand over surfaces I'd repaired and enchanted, but made sure looked exactly like I thought they would have in her memory. Even the sealed pots of fermenting sauce remained inside. She was crying with happiness when she turned to me, and launched into a flying glomp that I returned with a hearty hug. Perhaps too hardy. Her back cracked a bit. I ran a wave of [Holy] energy down it just in case, but she didn't even seem to have noticed.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" She breathed.

"You're quite welcome. I actually did this before you asked me to adopt you, and I added a few things. Would you like to see?" She nodded eagerly, and I approached the cart.

"Well, this originally ran on a limited supply of wood and coal. The storage box down here," I reached down to open it, "now has an unlimited supply. If you don't feel like using either one, I've also added a little bit of illusion and enchantment work to supply heat without burning anything. This spot on the back with the sticker is kind of a control interface."

I pointed to a silly sticker that had been almost completely gone before an overpowered repair/conjuration spell restored it, and her smile softened. When I tapped it twice in quick succession, the griddle area started to heat by itself.

"Tap it twice thinking of how hot you want it and it'll start. Tap it twice again thinking about it being off and it'll turn off. As an added bonus you can tap it twice while thinking about it being clean, and it'll automatically be clean!" Ukyo's eyes were wide with wonder. "I've also enchanted the other compartments to hold more than they normally would and keep the contents hot, cold, and room temperature respectively. What do you think?"

I received another hug and an ear-piercing squeal of delight. I was almost afraid to show her the feature that shrank the whole thing down into a cube she could put in her pocket. Tinnitus and actual sensory overload didn't seem to be a problem for me with Gamer's Body but that was still a very loud high-pitched noise very close to me.

-

With my family situation both changed and highlighted by recent events, I started alternating between martial arts training with the Saotome and Tendo families in the afternoons and magical training with Ember and Ukyo. They were both in my Gamer party now and gaining skills rapidly. I'd gifted Ukyo the ability to use magic and she was quickly catching up to me in terms of [Energy Affinity (Heat)] and [Elemental Bending (Fire/Heat)]. Apparently she found both immensely useful in her favorite hobby: cooking. With my somewhat broader range of experience and the knowledge passed on from Ku Lon she was also catching up on cooking foods other than okonomiyaki. She'd known a lot of other recipes and methods before we started, but now she was approaching legitimate chef level.

Ranma, Mu Tsu, and Ryoga had finally managed the basics of [Shapeshifting] in that they could now make temporary changes to their appearances, and I'd set them to work memorizing everything they could about their uncursed and cursed forms for safety in case they achieved a lasting change and forgot what something was supposed to look like. I also loaned them a few medical textbooks to study, since I didn't want them screwing up their organs or bleeding to death because they did something stupid. Mu Tsu was the only one who didn't glare at me for that. The fact that the curses didn't keep them from transforming like they did me and Ember was annoying, but I chalked it up to "rules as written" applying to me and not them.

As far as martial arts went, things were coming along swimmingly. Ranma had passed on what he learned of Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, I'd finally learned the Tendo ki manifestation technique, and Ku Lon had started both myself and Ranma learning the Hiryu Shoten Ha after Happosai decided it was a good idea to use a technique he only vaguely remembered and had lost the scroll for to teach the Ranma a lesson. It hadn't worked, and resulted only in a burn mark that was easily healed but the Amazon Matriarch thought it was a good idea regardless. Happosai was tied up and tossed back in his cave after another introduction to The Shovel. He'd get out, sure. But he'd be out of our hair for a while.

There was an incident where a man dressed like a playing card king showed up and started cheating people in card games, but restraining him and calling the police worked wonders. The man had apparently been wanted for quite a while, and his ki presence was somewhat higher than average. I cursed him down to normal human levels just to be sure he didn't escape or cause the good law enforcement folks any trouble, and never heard from him again.

The winter holidays came and went, which was kind of odd since I didn't think any of the Tendos or Saotomes were Christian but they celebrated Christmas anyway [1]. I enchanted Ukyo's baker's peel for her and gave Ember a comb enchanted to groom her in animal form when she willed it. The Saotomes and Tendos all got harmless (and thoroughly inspected) magical trinkets scavenged from Death Eater homes, except for Nabiki who also got a pouch of gold-wrapped chocolate coins. She seemed a little disappointed it wasn't real gold, and would discover later that the pouch was enchanted to refill itself automatically.

-

The new year, 1990, brought with it new challenges. The troublesome principal of Furinkan had returned and was not at all happy about how things were going in his absence. He introduced some inane rule about how students had to have their hair cut then led said students on a merry chase around the school in search of a coconut that would exempt the student who found it from the rules. There wasn't much I could do about the haircut policy that wasn't overkill, but when I heard the kids' descriptions of the obstacle course and traps planted all over the school I decided there was another moron endangering and exploiting young people. I'd been aware something like this would happen of course, but hadn't been sure how extreme the principal's behavior would be.

The next morning Principal Kuno received a visit from the Silver Witch and a cursory scan of his mind revealed no curses or physical damage, so there wasn't anything to cure quickly. I knew the theory aspects of mind-healing from the Potter-Verse, but I seriously doubted it would help here even if I could subject the man to continuous treatment over a period of weeks or months. A calming spell and a short discussion showed he couldn't be reasoned with, so I applied the same curse I'd used on the playing card cosplay fellow earlier and called the police about his antics.

They didn't seem interested in listening to what I had to say, but after a lot of convincing they finally started interviewing students. The interviews lent my claims credibility, but given the general attitude of police in the area and the fact that (somehow) nobody was injured they told me they would keep an eye on the situation but weren't prepared to make an arrest. Since I'd cursed that man to limit his abilities to those of an average human his own age he probably wouldn't be able to directly cause more trouble, but I was sure it would come back to haunt me.

I had to get involved again when the man insisted on teaching Akane how to swim. She'd calmed down a lot and was able to learn a bit from the class she was to be tested in, but was still basically solid muscle and sank like a stone. I asked Ranma for help since I knew he could swim, then created a time-stopped instant dungeon and conjured up a heated pool. Before I left I warned them not to get up to any funny business and warded the place to collapse if either of them lost their swimming attire or were in any way uncovered by it.

Akane and Ranma both appeared a moment after I left blushing up a storm with Ranma desperately looking for his swimming trunks and Akane trying to hide the fact she was looking at him. With lidded eyes I splashed Ranma with cold water and conjured a one-piece bathing suit over him, then set up the whole thing again. This time I warned them I'd tell the fathers what they'd been up to if they fooled around. I deliberately did not smile as Ranma vehemently denied anything had happened, and that he'd lost the trunks after a dive into the pool. Akane was still admiring the now-female boy as I left, this time without trying to hide it. Akane did end up learning to swim, and the two kept any inappropriate acts to themselves.

When a creepy guy in super fancy clothes showed up and started talking about taking one of the Tendo daughters as his bride and Ranma said something about losing a speed-eating challenge to the man, I started getting angry. When he explained his new bride was compensation for an unpaid dinner bill some two decades in the past I paid him with an evil look at Genma and Soun. The man still refused to leave, so I whacked him with The Shovel a few times to dissuade him and he ran off. Later that same day Ranma approached me for advice.

He'd been meaning to ask for help understanding some of the things he'd been going through with Xian Pu and Akane anyway, but had apparently found the two of them kissing and not fully dressed in Xian Pu's room when he went to visit the Cat Cafe. He didn't want to go to either of the fathers with it, and he knew I was a lot older than I looked and hadn't revealed any of his own antics to the nominal adults of the house before. I snorted, having observed the interactions between the three for a while and called Xian Pu over that night for a discussion between the four of us. I'd expected awkwardness, but I hadn't expected them to turn it around on me. Ukyo had been talking to her friends for advice regarding her new father. Thankfully I'd thrown up an instant dungeon and some wards to maximize privacy after we sat down at the dining room table.

"Xian Pu, Akane: I know you both feel strongly for Ranma. I've seen it. I've also seen the looks you give each-other. Do you have any problem with sharing him between you? Say one marriage in China and one in Japan?" The two girls, both fire-engine red, shook their heads but refused to meet my eyes. Instead they were staring at the spots in front of them at the table. Ranma's mouth was hanging open, so I closed it with a finger under his chin.

"Are you both aware of how societies view same-sex and other non-standard couples?" I continued. They nodded again, with Akane mumbling about how she'd been the same until recently. I switched my gaze over to Ranma, who was now glassy-eyed and drooling.

"Ranma! Are you aware of the tremendous amount of trust these girls are giving you? How something like this could socially ruin them, and possibly even make it difficult or impossible for Akane to find a job if she ever wants one beyond the dojo?" Ranma was still drooling, and the girls looked solemn. I slapped him lightly and repeated the question, and it came out that he'd never actually been given the official Talk, just coached through it by the girls. Guinevere appeared on my shoulder, and I could see the glimmer of intelligence in her gaze. At least I wouldn't be alone in trying to straighten this out. I turned back to the girls.

"Can I assume you've all at least seen each other naked by now?" Reluctant nods followed. "Then this will be an excellent time to get you acquainted with some basic safety issues," I was a firm believer in making absolutely certain that people got the message so the following talk included lifelike illusory reproductions of generic humans. First was vocabulary, then came consequences, then came birth control and technique. After that I asked if they had any questions, and everything went normally (red faces, horrible embarrassment, and all) until Akane asked if Kasumi and I were going to have children. My confused expression and silence was no help.

"She likes you a lot, and I've seen you checking out a lot of people but never anybody as much as her," Akane accused teasingly. "You're both gone for a lot of the night sometimes, and I've heard her call your name even though our rooms are separated by Nabiki's! I've even seen you leave together!" She looked so smug for someone who had something so completely wrong.

"Akane… your sister has been taking night classes and I don't sleep. Ever. I'm capable of it, but it's not necessary. We leave together because I escort her to and from classes if they're late at night, just like I did you when I thought you were in danger. As for the rest...um...I think I might have to talk to Kasumi. She's beautiful don't get me wrong, but she's also something like a third of my age and I'm obligated to leave after a while. She deserves someone who can marry her, make her happy, and give her children. In the long run I can't do any of those things." I heard a quiet gasp behind me and knew things had gone to shit. Akane and Xian Pu were looking over my shoulder in horror and Ranma was hiding under the table with his fingers in his ears.

"Kasumi is standing behind me, isn't she?" Akane and Xian Pu both nodded. "How long have you been there, Kasumi?" I asked, turning around with a look of regret. This wasn't how I'd have liked to handle the situation.

"I came through the strange barrier just as Akane finished explaining how loud I've been," she murmured with a blush. I sighed and beckoned for her to join us at the table. Ranma and the girls left, and I added a [Barrier] to prevent anyone else from walking in on the coming conversation.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi. You **are** beautiful. Beyond beautiful, even. This isn't my home, though. We could be together for a time and even grow to truly love each other, but I'd still be forced to leave when my ten years are up. I'm also sterile." When this didn't get through to her I started to explain the Jump-Chain and the circumstances of it, how I was already married to someone who would always be first in my heart, and that she deserved better than an old man who couldn't help but ogle women younger than he should. She actually laughed at that.

"And how old should they be, then? Your body is seventeen years old, just like Ranma's. Even if you'd lived a thousand years you'd still have the same problem. How can you deny yourself...deny me? Even if it's not forever I want to know what it's like to be truly loved!" She cried, tears starting to fall. "Before you came I was nothing but the surrogate mother for my sisters! All I ever did was cook, clean, and dream of being free! You changed that! With one gesture you **changed my life**! And you didn't stop there! I'd have to be an idiot not to notice that you've been helping with the chores, you took in poor Ukyo and gave her a home and a parent, and you dragged my father out of a bottle after I failed for almost a decade! He's teaching again! Not just you and Ember and Akane, he's actually got students signed up to start next month who are **paying** for instruction!" The tears were streaming down her face now, but she kept going.

"With Ember teaching me magic and how to sense it, did you really think I wouldn't notice the way you've warded the house? Especially after Happosai? She told me what those wards do and how powerful the protection you've placed on my home is. She also told me they're permanent, and that you could easily be living in the same place you've got Ukyo and take back the money for the rest of your stay. You helped me get over Tofu, you help me cook and bring home food when I feel tired, and you keep that **fucking pervert Happosai from attacking us in our own home**!" That last part caught me off guard. I'd never heard Kasumi shout or swear before. Now she'd done both. I looked a Guinevere, and discovered that a phoenix could perfectly convey a "get on with it" look before she cuffed me over the head with a wing, winked, and vanished in a ball of flame. Kasumi gasped.

"Was...is Guinevere a phoenix? I've wondered ever since I managed to see through the falcon illusion, but Ember never said one way or another." I nodded slowly, going over the situation in my mind. Guinevere clearly had no problem with this, and I'd been beating myself up over the same points Kasumi had just neatly shut down for a while now, despite Guinevere and Washu talking to me about it. Kasumi was a genuinely good person. Wonderful, in fact. If I wasn't already married I'd be tempted to settle down here with her. It would be heartbreaking to leave her here if we got involved, rather than the merely difficult it would be if we didn't.

Kasumi watched me silently, allowing me time to think. I'd already gotten attached to the people here. A few of them, anyway. Akane, Ranma, Ryoga, Ukyo, Xian Pu, and Kasumi mostly. That was how it worked for me, though. I had a few close friends if I made any at all, and I was both very close to and very protective of those friends no matter how long it had been since I'd seen them. If they were able to keep me from isolating myself, which Ember had been slowly working on since we'd been able to reliably communicate, then I got so close to them they were more family to me than my blood relatives. I looked up into Kasumi's watery eyes and asked her again if she was sure about all of this, if she was sure she could be with someone who wouldn't be in it for life. Her smile indicated she knew the decision I'd come to, and she wasn't wrong. I teleported us to an unused apartment in the warehouse.


	28. Chapter 28

The next morning Kasumi was unusually cheerful, and Akane took one look at us before giving her sister a thumbs up and a giant grin. Nabiki ignored it, since she hadn't had any caffeine yet. Soun and Genma gave me wary looks but said nothing, and Happosai hadn't come down for breakfast yet. Ranma was still in the bath. I hadn't known it was possible to feel like the world's luckiest guy/girl/shapeshifter-thing and the world's biggest asshole at the same time, but the guilt was slowly diminishing, as was the euphoria.

Time passed, and with it my regrets and misgivings. Ranma came home with an enchanted piece of paper on his back to get ready for a date with a boy at school, and I disintegrated the thing before dispelling the remainder of the magic it had contained. Another talk with Gosunkugi (and a threat with The Shovel) convinced him to give up the remaining paper dolls. When he turned his back I used one of the things on him, compelling him to give up his pursuit of Akane and use his time more productively.

Since I was walking the kids to school again to spend more time with Ukyo, the giant flying minotaur thing that attacked them was laid out with a simple sleep spell. I remembered this guy from the series. His name was ridiculous, and because of some stupid village tradition he couldn't change it himself unless the one who named him died. Considering he was named (and cursed) by Happosai, he wasn't going to have much luck with that. I hit Pantyhose Taro with some conjured hot water to turn him human and conjured steel cables around him. If he turned back like that he was going to have a bad time. A potentially fatal time, actually.

He was an asshole of the highest calibre in my humble opinion, but he didn't necessarily deserve to die. Just to double check, I pulled a live chicken out of my inventory. It seemed fine, and its health bar was full. I shoved it back in, then put Taro in there too. Akane, Nabiki, Ranma, and Ukyo were all staring at me in shock since I hadn't bothered to disguise using the inventory as hidden weapons. Had they never seen a girl shove a guy into an invisible inventory screen before?

"Was it the chicken?" I asked, fishing for a reaction. Akane and Ukyo cracked up laughing, while Nabiki gave me a look that clearly indicated I was insane. Ranma just kind of stared wide-eyed at the spot the guy had disappeared into thin air. I started walking again when everyone was relatively calm, and they followed. I'd talk to Happosai about this if he got out of the cave again before I left.

Later that evening Ukyo started playing with the food cart to get used to it and discovered a jar of Kuonji secret sauce she'd made during the brief period she'd known Ranma as a child. I had to heal the poor girl when she got sick from it, asked why she seemed so upset that the sauce hadn't worked. When the story came out that she felt like a failure at the family art because she hadn't been able to make it properly, I scoffed at the notion and said something must have happened to it in the intervening time. She could make a new batch now and I'd age it however long it needed to prove it. She reluctantly complied, mixing up the recipe that was supposed to age for ten years. I took it and created a very small instant dungeon with 100,000 to one time dilation, then put the sauce inside and left. Fifty three minutes later Ukyo had delicious sauce and I had a happy daughter.

When I heard about an extremely young girl was introduced as Ranma's new homeroom teacher, I called to set up a meeting with her. Ranma was a little unhappy because the girl had somehow drained a couple students of most their ki when they talked in class, turning her into an adult. I think he mostly just wanted to learn the technique, though. My introduction to Ninomiya Hinako was brief. I told her I was a specialist that knew Happosai, and that I could help her stay an adult for longer. None of that was a lie, really.

When she agreed to at least let me examine her I made a bit of a show of looking her over and asking her to turn around. She looked like a pre-teen, and her ki generation was unusually low due to some pathways that appeared damaged. I nodded, then generated a [Mystical Energy (Generator)] in my hand to create a constant stream ki and enclosed it in glass. After setting it on the desk I instructed her to drain it like Happosai had taught her, and did my best to memorize the technique. [Copy] flared and gave me a temporary ability to use it, but I wanted to learn how to drain someone at long range without any real preparation so I continued to go over it in my head while Hinako's technique slowed to a trickle. I'd created the generator itself with mana but set it to generate ki so that she couldn't accidentally destroy it with one technique.

Hinako looked down at herself in wonder, now in full adult form without having had to drain a living being to achieve it. She had more energy than she knew what to do with, really. The little glass ball she'd gotten the energy from was already glowing with a near-full ki aura again, and it had only been a few seconds. When I asked her to discharge the technique at me she looked alarmed, but a little cajoling brought her around. The ki blast felt like getting hit with a truck, but it was nothing my regeneration and a little sticking to the floor with chakra couldn't handle.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Energy Affinity (Ki)!]

Good. That was a start on both lowering the cost of ki techniques to even more ridiculously low levels and more importantly resisting the damage caused by direct contact to offensively-utilized ki. I asked her to drain me next, enough to top off whatever she'd just used, but when she tried she didn't get anything. Resisting the urge to facepalm I let some of my aura out in the form of ki and asked her to try again. It seemed this particular technique needed something to latch onto before it could start the energy drain. Being able to see it again gave me more data, too.

Hinako was by this time kind of spooked. I could conjure balls of infinite energy, was completely immune to her most powerful offensive ability without even trying, and didn't seem to mind the tremendous amount of ki she'd drained at my instruction. I ignored it and said I would like to try and heal her based on the knowledge I had. She didn't look any less scared, but I told her all I would need was to hold her hand for a moment. In truth I might have been able to do it without physical contact, but I wanted this to be as easy as possible since I'd never tried to alter the internal energy pathways of another person before. The knowledge was there, pieced together from observation, study, and the Medical Genius perk.

Using a mixture of [Holy] and [Mystical Energy (Mastery)] to manipulate the ki pathways that I saw and heal any damage incurred, I matched them up to the pattern I'd seen in healthy adults. Hinako went slightly green then passed out, and I quickly leant down to examine her again. She was still in adult form, but there were some irregularities in the patterns of energy running through her body that were slowly returning to what I'd call normal. Not normal for her, normal for a healthy adult with a slightly above average ki pool. As they smoothed out her heart rate picked up and her eyes started to flutter. She woke to see me sitting near her as if to observe, but not so close as to be creepy. I hoped.

"If my observations are correct, you should be cured Miss Ninomiya. There is a chance you could relapse, but I'll be in the area for a while. I'm renting space from the Tendos, so you can reach me there. If you need energy, use this," I said tapping the glass ball generating ki and tweaking it slightly to generate a bit more yin than yang. "If you're still alright in a year, you can use it to make your plants grow more quickly. Or give it to Happosai, should you encounter him again." Hinako nodded absently, staring at the little ball in wonder as I left.

When I made it back to the dojo I immediately set to creating an energy draining skill of my own based on what I'd seen. I'd already been aware of most of what I needed and could have truthfully built the skill without seeing it in action, but I'd found that having knowledge of what needed to happen increased the effectiveness and the efficiency of the end product. I held up a hand and concentrated.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Mystical Energy (Drain)!]  
[Quest Update! Learn ALL the things!]

A thought conjured a ball identical to what I'd given the teacher and another summoned up an instant dungeon. Using the skill on the ball made it dimmer and [Observe] indicated it was losing ki. My own mana regenerated quickly enough that it had never actually dipped to cast the drain spell, so I started throwing around blasts and balls of ki with my other hand.

[By doing something special, you've developed the skill: Mystical Energy (Bolt)!]  
[Quest Update! Learn ALL the things!]

Really? Aside from the quest there wasn't much of a reason to make that a skill. I'd done it using pure energy manipulation, which fell under [Mystical Energy (Mastery)]. I'd figure it out later and possibly customize it a bit like Jee-Han had done. He'd started with something similar and built most of his offensive repertoire out of it, just slamming mana into things in different shapes and such. I had what I wanted, regardless. I'd helped someone at basically no cost to myself and gained a couple of the remaining techniques I wanted to learn in the progress. I could study the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion at any time, and I wasn't sure I even needed Ranma's sleep-fighting technique. For that matter, how do you bring something like that up?

'_Hey, Ranma! I noticed that when I attack you in your sleep you automatically dodge and try to throw me out the window_,' I thought to myself sarcastically. Yes, that would go over well. Maybe I didn't need his help, though. Between [Dreamwalk] and [Multi-Focus] I was already aware of the passage of time while I was sleeping and able to do other things. I'd have to try it that night. I hadn't actually slept in over a year, but I was sure Ember would be willing to randomly attack me a couple times for one night.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Sleep Fighting!]  
[Quest Update! Learn ALL the things!]

-

Things were going well. Kasumi and I were mostly happy, but I think it annoyed her a little when I pointed out cute guys in her class that she might get to know better [1]. Ranma was currently sulking since he'd gotten himself into a cheerleading contest that required him in his girl form to encourage Kuno, and not only did he not want to do any such thing Kuno also completely ignored him/her after exposure to me. Miss Ninomiya had started hitting on Soun, which he took with grace but did not return. Then a postcard from Ranma's mother arrived in the mail. It was time to see if my work had paid off: would Saotome Nodoka deem her son manly despite the curse?

I met the kids at school to walk them home, which earned some concerned glances but wasn't terribly unusual. When we encountered a red-headed woman in a traditional kimono heading for the Tendo dojo I prompted Ranma to introduce himself. He looked at me oddly, but followed my instructions only to receive a massive hug from the woman in question. His panicked look was great, but Nodoka's barrage of questions was going straight over his head because of it. I stepped forward.

"Missus Saotome. It's a pleasure to meet the mother of one of my apprentices. I am Wrin Black," I said with a bow. She looked startled, but immediately composed herself and returned my greeting with a bow of her own. Ranma looked like he'd been slapped with a fish. In the series he wasn't even sure if his mother was alive or not at this point.

"What exactly do you teach my son, Miss Black?"

"Well you see, his father was unprepared to offer usable advice on his relationships. I stepped in to help. My main focus is magic, though. Your son suffered a curse while training in China. The kami that created the springs lure people into them. If something has already drowned there the victim is cursed with a form similar to the one who drowned, but if the spring has never taken a victim before the spirits attempt to drown the one who falls in. It is ancient blood magic, and to overcome such a thing requires talent, rigorous study, and a great deal of discipline." Nodoka's eyes were wide as saucers at that point, so I gestured to Ranma who promptly turned his hair as red as mine then back to black.

"How are you so knowledgeable of such things at your age, Miss Black? And what curse did my son receive?" She asked shakily.

"Missus Saotome, despite my appearance I am in my seventies. I could age myself if you like, but I find this form fits the local area and causes people to underestimate me. As for your son, he received the very best curse for someone who would eventually wind up with two girlfriends: he was turned into a female. I dare say he's learned quite a bit from it," I said with a lurid smirk at Ranma and Akane, who both blushed and looked away. Nodoka dropped a cloth-wrapped bundle that I knew contained the Saotome honor blade and stared at Ranma in a mixture of horror and awe. Deciding it was probably better to keep the momentum of the conversation than let her contemplate the crazy-ass suicide pact she was no doubt thinking about, I asked Ranma to demonstrate.

"Ranma, would you mind demonstrating the curse for your mother? I can conjure water if you haven't managed to trigger it manually yet." The boy nodded, looking unsure, and turned into a copy of my current form. Nodoka jumped. "And back again, please?" His nod was more confident this time, and he turned male again.

"Now, student. Have you had any luck blocking the water trigger I showed you, yet?" The boy looked contemplative, then made a so-so hand motion. I grinned and turned back to Nodoka. "I'm so proud! Already shapeshifting on his own with only about a year of instruction in magic! The boy is a prodigy to be sure!" Ok, maybe I was laying it on a little thick. Ranma was excellent at this particular branch of magic, but that was because he was very motivated. The only other things he excelled at in the area of magic were [Mystical Energy (Sense)] and hydrokinesis. Then again, I wasn't sure I'd know normal if it hit me with a stick at this point. Maybe students usually took longer than that?

"Regardless, he's coming along nicely," I said to the Saotome matriarch. "With just a few months more practice I think he'll be skilled enough that I can break the curse itself with his help. After that he'll never need to assume that form again, though he will have the option. And of course, being a shapeshifter will be quite the advantage in other pursuits if he continues to study the medical texts I loaned him." Akane's blush had been receding, but now it looked like she might actually start glowing. She was poking her fingers together in front of her and looking at the ground shyly. Coincidentally, hearing that the curse itself would be broken made Nodoka slump in relief and smile with genuine happiness. I turned back to Akane, Nabiki, Ranma, and Ukyo.

"Children, we're expected back at the Tendo dojo for practice soon. Please don't delay Missus Saotome too long, but remember to give her contact information."

Things evolved from there pretty much without my help, so I bent down to pet Mister Fluffers. I didn't really like dogs in general, but he'd grown on me. Unfortunately as a large breed dog he probably wouldn't live more than a few years longer, but I'd remember him fondly either way. He growled at cats and would lunge if they came too close, but never actually attacked them. The Druidic magic I used on myself was no help as it was both incredibly complicated and designed for humans to use on themselves. I hadn't yet found a way to do the same for others, but regular exposure to [Holy] energy was keeping him happy and healthy. Nodoka agreed to return to the Tendo dojo with us and meet her long-absent husband.

-

Well that was loud. Nodoka screaming at Genma and threatening him with a sword, I mean. The whole lurid story about Genma agreeing to return Ranma to her a "man among men" or commit suicide along with his son came out before I decided to throw up a silencing barrier over the pair, and Ranma was looking at me like I was the incarnation of everything that was good in the world for teaching him to overcome the curse. Akane and Xian Pu, who'd been visiting for the afternoon's training session, both looked grateful. Ukyo looked suspicious, but was also smiling. She'd probably already worked out that I knew about the contract and had taken steps to prevent disaster. Soun just looked grateful that I'd silenced the couple.

The afternoon martial arts training went well, with Genma joining in the instruction and Nodoka watching after a while. After that I cast cleaning spells on everyone and had my students meditating on their magic, so everyone else except Nodoka left. In spare moments I spoke to her about my goals for the boys: they should be able to break the curses themselves with my help, but I'd only do so once they were proficient with blocking the water triggers. After that I would move on to honing their healing skills and teaching them teleportation before declaring them journeymen and breaking the apprenticeship so they could continue to study on their own or pursue their own ambitions unburdened by Jusenkyo.

Ranma's mother seemed to be quite interested both in the mechanics of the curses themselves and what I'd been offered to take three students. I'd already told her most of what she'd need to know about the curses, so only the hot and cold water bits were necessary to round out her knowledge there unless she wanted to study magic herself. She didn't, but was still interested in what had persuaded me to teach them. When I explained my deal to both learn from and teach the Amazons she nodded knowingly, but my motivation for teaching Ryoga and Ranma wasn't as clear or easy to explain. From her point of view I'd basically done it just to help, and while that was fine from my point of view she was very traditional. She seemed to consider receiving limited instruction from Genma not enough to repay me, and went to speak with her husband.

I didn't really care what they did, as long as it hurt no one and wasn't overly generous. I already knew most of the Anything Goes school from the Weirdly Specific Martial Arts perk, and was gaining very little from the instruction aside from sparring experience. Ryoga still felt he owed me a debt too, but I didn't intend to call it in. His parents still hadn't come home, but they'd been able to exchange letters and now knew to try and make their way home so I could break their family curse for good. I was getting kind of impatient though, and may just end up scrying for them and using teleport to get it over with if they didn't show up soon.

Mu Tsu's debt was already paid, by my estimate. He'd shown me how to use his hidden weapons technique even though I really didn't need it, Ku Lon had taught me several special Amazon techniques, and both she and Xian Pu were honing my skill in Amazon Wu Shu. They could work anything else out amongst themselves.

Nodoka stayed in the third guest bedroom with her husband that night. Guinevere might have been up, but I kind of doubted it. She wasn't always mentally present even when the bird was awake, probably because she had her own adventures to go on. After a bit of pondering what to do myself I decided to visit Jusenkyo again and see how much more of the cursed spring water I could get now that it'd had a year or so to refill. This should be somewhere around the time when Herb would be visiting the springs in the original timeline, too. I wondered briefly if they'd discovered that the locking ladle was missing yet. I tapped Ember on the shoulder to wake her long enough to explain where I was going before teleporting to Jusenkyo valley in China.

When I got there the springs were full again, which was great. What was less great was the armed contingent of Musk warriors talking to the guide, who pointed at me and ran away as soon as he saw me. Dick move.


	29. Chapter 29

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div class="message-userContent lbContainer js-lbContainer hasThreadmark" style="box-sizing: border-box;" data-lb-id="post-40691914" data-lb-caption-desc="Wrin · Oct 27, 2017 at 8:50 PM"  
div class="bbWrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;"I did my best to look innocent and like I hadn't already conjured a barrel and started siphoning off water from the springs even before I noticed them. The barrel went in my inventory and I put my hands behind my back with a look of curiosity toward the angrily approaching beastmen. At the lead was an effeminate looking boy with one blue and one pink streak in his white hair wearing ornate armor. Prince Herb. He demanded to know why I was taking the spring water and that I never do it again, and I dropped my facade for a hard style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"It's none of your goddamn business why I'm taking it, and this is not your land. It's neutral. I checked with the Amazons to ensure I wasn't trespassing after they mentioned the other tribes in the area." Yes, I was looking for a fight. I span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"really/span did not like the Musk, and I wanted to see how I stood up to their prince. I started assigning defensive spells as I spoke, with [Barrier], [Mana Shield], [Mana Protection], and [Active Precognitive Defense] going up first. Herb's level was in the mid 200s, so I'd need the extra protection. Seeing my mana start to dip a bit, I reserved some for [Mystical Energy (Generator)] and it shot back style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Herb's eyes narrowed, and he gestured the wolf-eared boy next to him forward. He blurred forward and bounced off of a [Barrier (Force Wall)] produced by [Active Precognitive Defense]. I could follow him, if only barely. [Haste]ing myself made it much easier, and I allowed him to close this time before engaging the Boots of Kicking I'd enchanted back in The Gamer and improved several times since. The kick to the head would have sent him flying, but the extra telekinetic blast produced by the boots themselves ensured he left a crater in the side of the valley. Herb growled, and the rest of the cohort attacked. I engaged [Flight] and started picking them off with ki blasts courtesy of [Mystical Energy (Bolt)]. I might have been aiming to fling most of them into random Jusenkyo springs at the same time. style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Herb was furious now, and the few arrows and other projectiles that hit me did absolutely nothing. Most weren't enchanted or otherwise enhanced, so they never made it past my high vitality perks. Even the few that were enhanced by ki met [Physical Endurance], the mystical damage resistances granted by my high wisdom perks, [Mystical Energy (Resistance)], and [Energy Affinity (Ki)]. The few hit points I lost regenerated without conscious effort on my part before the barrage stopped. I cocked my head at Herb himself, as if asking him to try his luck. He style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /If Herb's bodyguard had been fast, the young man himself was greased lightning. [Active Precognitive Defense] surrounded me in a bubble of [Barrier (Force Wall)] in addition to the normal barrier I'd raised before the fight and even inside it I was knocked around like a ping-pong ball. My mana had taken a hit both to raise the barrier and to cast cushioning charms on the inside of it. By the time I recovered from the sudden onslaught Herb was charging a ki blast in one hand and holding a sword made of the stuff in the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Gamer's Mind fully engaged at that point so my emotions wouldn't interfere with the fight, and I erected a [Barrier (Reflect)] tuned to ki in front of me as I called on my own [Plasma Sword] technique. The man's eyes narrowed, and he actually span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"bounced/span the ki blast off a nearby surface so that it exploded against my first [Barrier]. My mana dropped by about five percent from [Mana Protection]. I hadn't used the skill a whole lot, but I knew that it saved me from five points of health damage per point of mana spent. That would have really style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I raised the amount of mana reserved for [Mystical Energy (Generator)] to twenty percent of the maximum to compensate, then poured the extra inflow into [Mystical Energy (Mastery)] to boost all of my stats further and launched myself at the dragon descendant. He didn't even try to block my plasma blade, instead using the opportunity to hack at my own defenses with his ki sword. I took the hit on my [Barrier] instead of my neck, and my mana dropped again even as it refilled. Herb, having expected to be hit with ki or fire based on the appearance of my blade, screamed in pain as the plasma cut away his fancy armor with ease and singed even his flesh. He was immune to pure fire, but this blade was also infused with lightning and a sharpened force style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I took the opportunity his flinch provided to strike at the hand in which he held the ki blade, but his reflexes were superior to mine. The blade itself melted into a coating over his hand, and he caught my plasma sword with a grimace and started pummeling my force wall with the other fist. The barrier held, but [Active Precognitive Defense] seemed to be occupied with keeping it up. Herb began to force my blade back toward me, his hand sliding down toward mine for a better angle. I hadn't anticipated someone doing that, and made a note to myself to study a better way of allowing myself to use the technique through my shields than making it bypass them entirely. Being far stronger in magic than in body, I grabbed the blade itself with [Telekinesis] and slashed down at style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The sudden apparent increase in strength was enough to surprise him, and I put a deep gouge in the arm he'd been pummeling my force wall with and a shallower cut in his ribs. He roared in anger, fire actually spewing from his mouth as he kicked my force wall hard enough to throw me down into one of the springs. The force wall held back the water, and Herb himself avoided the splash. He seemed to be healing as I watched from my position of relative safety. Oh. He was charging another ki blast, this one a lot bigger than the first. Did I say safety? I meant mortal style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I flew back up toward him and tried something new. Rather than erect a reflective barrier in front of me and allow him to bounce the projectile around it I instead waited until the very last moment. When he released it the blast I erected the reflective barrier directly in front of it. A brilliant flash and a scream of pain were followed by a splash, and I looked to the pool he'd fallen into. Oh that was not good. Not good at all. The Spring of Drowned Asura glowed brightly. Why, oh why, did the dragon prince have to fall in the one spring that made him even more ridiculous than he already was?br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The water of the spring boiled and began to evaporate, and Herb rose from it. All three faces of his new (female) form were lit up with rage, and the six arms immediately started throwing fireballs at me. I dodged what I could to preserve my mana and started hastily altering my shields to meld together and allow purely thermal projectiles through. I'd actually benefit from fireballs, but if I fully dropped the barriers to absorb them Herb would be on me in an instant. The barrage stopped when Herb was once again level with me. Wait...hadn't Rouge, the only one in the manga with this curse, also been able to summon lightning? I wasn't completely immune to- OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT!br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Lightning bolts were not quite within my ability to dodge, but I did my best based on where Herb's hands were pointing, my limited sense of the building electric fields that came from my various electricity-themed skills, and precognition. I was only able to get around about half of them, and my mana was dipping and spiking like mad from the damage soaked up by [Mana Protection] and the energy I absorbed from the excess heat. A growl and blinding flash of light briefly blocked out my normal sight and I found out that I actually span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"could/span be affected by such things as flash blindness when the only thing I could see was the popup telling me I'd been inflicted with the blindness status style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Dispel] took care of that just in time for me be be pummelled into the ground by a six-armed ball of rage, fire, and lightning. One of the arms generated another ki sword and started hacking away at me too, which finally broke through the force wall since it was only designed to protect against non-mystical attacks and had been damaged by the fire and lightning earlier. The effort I'd put into merging them earlier hadn't been perfect so they'd still been in rough layers. I'd need to fix that style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Herb stood, his primary mouth breathing fire down onto me and turning the surrounding soil into smoky molten glass. He raised all six arms to the sky, and his other two mouths called out in unison, "span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"FLAMES OF THE STORM!/span" A lightning bolt as wide as a redwood flashed down from the heavens toward me, and I did the only thing I could think of. I teleported behind my attacker and beat him/her over the head with The Shovel of Light. This was both a great and a terrible plan. Getting out of the way of the lightning bolt that would leave a tremendous glowing hole in the ground was awesome. Attacking someone with a nominally metal object less than ten meters away from it at the same time was less style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The bolt arced and split, then struck the (thankfully) indestructible Shovel. The current traveled through it, my arm, and Herb before grounding in the earth. My [Barrier] dropped completely and my mana was reduced by half to mitigate the damage dealt to my body by the shock. Even with the damage dealt reduced by eighty percent due to my energy affinity that would have killed me without my last line of defense: [Mana Protection]. I blinked stars out of my eyes, wondering why I hadn't been attacked again as I struggled to recover. There was a tug on the Shovel as I swung blindly, then something fell from it with a wet squelch and thudded to the ground. As my vision cleared I saw Herb, still in asura form, trying desperately to stem the flow of blood from his neck. He was surrounded by a pile of money, magical items, and skill books. I'd killed the prince of the Musk style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /No. I didn't like them and they'd attacked me first, but it wasn't at all without provocation. From the way the guide had pointed at me they knew I was the one to drain the springs a year ago, and I'd been disrespectful of their prince after that. I still had about half my mana. If I tried to heal him and Herb attacked again I should have just enough for [Active Precognitive Defense] to get me home with a teleport. I cancelled my flight spell in favor of picking up my loot with a thread of [Multi-Focus] and telekinesis, then laid my hand over Herb's. His eyes were wild, but he didn't move. He knew it would only kill him faster to do so, and had no idea why I wasn't finishing the job with The Shovel. I gathered most of my remaining energy, then poured enough [Holy] energy into the cursed young man to heal an army on the verge of death. Several pop-ups filled my view but were swept to the side for later, and Herb's form shimmered back to his more human appearance. He was unconscious and lying in a pool of his own blood, but he was style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /A quick look around showed that the remaining Musk warriors had fled except for the speedster and one dressed in tiger furs. Herb's bodyguards from the series, if they were who I thought. It was entirely possible that there were other Musk warriors who dressed similarly, but I thought it unlikely. I gestured for them to approach, and they did so cautiously. When I made no move to stop them they picked up Herb and fled the way the others had gone. I'd nearly killed again, which was a bit troubling now that I was letting Gamer's Mind fade back to its passive state. I hadn't, though. I examined the area, noting several new cursed springs including the one into which some of Herb's blood had flown: Spring of Drowned Dragon Descendant. I let my mana refill as I contemplated the implications of that, and the description from [Observe] that said it could also be called the Spring of Drowned style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I returned to the warehouse apartment in a new form carrying a lot of loot dropped by defeated Musk warriors, loot dropped by Herb himself, several flasks of blood, and a lot more Jusenkyo spring water. My mana and ki both flowed more freely as a dragon descendant, and attempting to shift my skin into scales was almost pitifully easy now. I was exhausted for the first time in ages, even if it was mostly mental. I'd had to refill my mana several times and throw [Holy (Remove Curse)] and [Counter/Dispel] around for nearly an hour to cleanse the spring created with Herb's blood so no one else could use it. I still had all the water, of course. I wasn't going to waste it. I was, however, going to take a style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Active Precognitive Defense has gained twenty-six levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[By doing something repeatedly, you've created a new skill: Telekinesis (Augment Strength)!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[By doing something repeatedly, you've created a new skill: Dodge!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Barrier has gained fifteen levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Dodge has gained five levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Energy Affinity (Heat) has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Energy Affinity (Ki) has gained seven levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Energy Affinity (Lightning) has gained three levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Mana Protection has gained eleven levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Multi-Focus has gained a level!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Mystical Energy (Bolt) has gained twenty levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Observe has gained two levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[You've gained four levels!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[You've slept in your bed! HP and MP are completely recovered and temporary status ailments have been cured!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I groaned, and silently thanked Washu for keeping the numbers straight on my character sheet or whatever record I accessed through the UI (also for condensing and sorting the pop-ups for while I slept). I wasn't sore or anything, I just didn't want to deal with the information right now. Ember, Guinevere, and Ukyo were staring at me over the back of the couch I'd collapsed on. Ember and Ukyo were in my party and could see my name tag, while Guinevere was linked to my soul and would know me anywhere. The fact that I was now covered in small golden scales and my features had shifted a bit didn't seem to do anything other than make them curious. The fact that I'd slept was probably more unusual to them than my suddenly having different features. Dismissing the notifications and distributing my stat points took only a tiny fraction of my concentration, so I sat up with a style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"Good morning, ladies!" They shared a look, then Ukyo style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"Good morning, Dad. Did you find something interesting to do last night?" I gave her an incredulous style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"I fought a dragon prince and emptied Jusenkyo again. How was your night, my dear daughter?" Guinevere face-palmed. Face-winged? She hit herself in the face with her wing. Ember rolled her eyes and went to start on breakfast. Ukyo stared at me style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /"You'll catch flies that way, you know." Nothing. I started playing around with the scales and got them to recede to covering only the clothed parts of my body. The gold went well with the red hair I used in Ranko form and it was supposed to represent the strongest of the good-aligned dragons in Dungeons and Dragons, but it was really bright. I changed them flesh-colored and smoothed out the edges with a thought, just in case anyone got a look under my shirt or something. That left them looking like normal skin except under very close observation. Ukyo huffed and went into the kitchen to talk to style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Remove Curse success! Jusenkyo curse (Spring of Drowned Dragon Descendent) is broken!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /[Form template attained: Part-Dragon / Dragonborn!]br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /I pulled up my alternate forms in the UI and smiled when I saw that I could layer Part-Dragon / Dragonborn over whatever form I was wearing for increased strength, vitality, defense, special defense, and optional scales and wings. There was also a note that I qualified as a dragon whenever it was beneficial so long so I used the template. I could think of a few uses for that. I switched over to my inventory and my smile became a bright grin. The loot from the previous eventing had included a bunch of skill books for Kung Fu and the various animal styles. Asura flash might be helpful too, but the best part was the last: Thu'um for Dummies. Washu was kind, Washu was wise, and I was going to learn how to alter the world with my voice alone. I shivered, hoping I got to pick the next jump. Most of Skyrim's perks weren't all that great compared to what I had now, but there were a few that would be awesome to have. Some of the equipment was nice, too./div  
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	30. Chapter 30

I took Kasumi out for some personal time that day. We had a short but informative talk in which she told me firmly she knew our arrangement wasn't permanent but that I was ruining it for her by trying to get her together with someone else so soon. She wanted to know what it was like to be loved, and I was being an asshole about it. She was right. I'd been unconsciously trying to save myself some heartache by not getting too attached. She'd tell me if and when she found someone else. We still had some fun, but I felt guilty and she probably wouldn't forgive me any time soon. I was actually surprised she didn't dump me right there.

When we got back to the Tendo home we parted with a hesitant kiss and I returned to the warehouse apartment to spend time with Ember, Guinevere, and Ukyo. My tolerance for social interaction was pretty low after a full day out in public and a lot of (arguably necessary) drama, so I excused myself after only a couple of hours and started working on some Potter-style communication mirrors for everyone. As I worked, I pondered my actions. Another part of me was chasing down the elusive mystery of where my extra mana went and why I'd gained an energy form instead of exploding.

My mind being capable of multiple simultaneous trains of thought was both incredibly useful and frustrating as hell, sometimes. The way [Multi-Focus] worked meant I could and did put my full attention to however many extra "threads" I had plus my main thought process, and sometimes ideas started to cross over and get mixed together. By that point several extra threads had started contemplating Kasumi and what I knew of her, two were going back over the Ranma ½ timeline to see what was coming next and if I'd missed anything I cared about, one was still chasing down the energy form thing, and a few were examining the fine traceries and patterns revealed in my aura when the last one was looking for where the mana went.

One enterprising thread was carefully going over the method I'd divined for using universal nullification, and startled me out of my thought process by trying it on a foot and getting it wrong. Were it not for Gamer's Body I would now have no foot. As it was it really hurt and cost me a load of hit points. I'd never before that moment experienced most of my mind metaphorically looking at one part like it was an idiot, and it got even weirder when the one part successfully argued that learning to do it properly could save my life and I could take a little pain to achieve it.

"Ladies," I called into the other room. "Am I insane?"

"Yes," they replied in unison, with not a single moment of hesitation. Kasumi had arrived at some point, and had been part of the chorus. What were they doing in there anyway? Was that Monopoly? I should probably take that Jump at some point. I'd read a fic that showed a pretty good way to go about it if you had any sort of resistance to mental effects or toxins. The rest of my head had already gone back to what it was going, except now there was a thread healing me whenever the one trying to erase my foot fucked up. It was keeping my main thought process and everyone else from concentrating too deeply, it was true that learning to become "nothing" would be more helpful than energy body in some situations.

I was about to go back to working on the mirrors when I realized I already had a stack of fifty in my inventory from my earlier work. Oh, hell. Now what was I going to do? I could try and figure out how to arbitrarily increase my mana pool. And it would probably be a good idea to turn [Mana Protection] back on so my foot stopped hurting every time it was nearly erased from space and time.

[By repeatedly using it in an interesting way, you've widened the scope of the skill: Multi-Focus!]

Really? I brought up the skill's description and read through the modified text. That wasn't so bad. Being more able to ignore distractions like pain was actually pretty useful. Expanding the scope of what gave me experience for the skill would also make it level up faster unless it suddenly cost more to compensate. I assigned the remaining extra threads to looking for breaking points in the things around me and chakra control exercises in hope that I'd finally max out [Mystical Energy (Mastery)] and just be able to use most of my abilities for free, then I went to spend more time with the ladies.

-

It was while I was healing a young man Akane had known as a child in Ryugenzawa that the next bit of weirdness happened. The boy had a terrible memory and a lot of old injuries, which was forcing me to come up with some creative ways to use [Holy]. He didn't run on hit points after all, and regenerating flesh and correcting brain damage were both things I didn't get a lot of chances to do.

'_You missed a bit. No, over there._'

I'd already corrected for the error before it registered that the telepathic voice had been my own. My eye twitched, and I let the thread that had spoken take over healing and control of the body while I contemplated the implications of being able to telepathically communicate with myself. I noticed a giant something-or-other out of the corner of my eye and directed my unoccupied hand to taze it lightly. It went away and I went back to thinking.

When I finished healing the boy, Shinnosuke, his grandfather thanked us and asked if we could help to restore the flow of the Water of Life that had been sustaining him before my arrival. An eight-headed serpent of gigantic size had clogged the source of the springs in the area as it started to wake, and would need to be persuaded to move somehow. I shrugged and followed after Ranma and the others, since I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to bottle some of that or get a DNA sample from a real-life orochi. I had a tentative plan to integrate an ability to copy the form of things I had samples of, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. The [Copy] skill didn't cover it with the way it was worded. Maybe I could figure out a way to rename it?

[Copy has been renamed Mimic!]

That was easy. And **that** was a big-ass snake thing. At least it didn't look as goofy as it did when it was ink on a page or celluloid. With Ranma and Akane fighting it there were plenty of scales flying around, so I grabbed a few with telekinesis. Shinnosuke's grandfather said something about the moss growing on its head being special, so I grabbed some of that too. I didn't have any moss in the garden yet, and magic moss would make an interesting feature in the walk-through area I was planning. I examined the creature closely both visually and with [Mystical Energy (Sense)], and was unsurprised to find that it was magical.

'_Should we see if we can find some eggs or something?_' One part of me thought, and I absently replied in the negative since I prefered not to traumatize it any more than necessary and didn't want to rely on animal ingredients in my potions and such. It was a bit limiting, but with the plant resources, alchemy techniques, and potion techniques of several worlds it was a lot easier to maintain. I started growing more wood clone-golems and tossing them in my inventory. When Ranma and Akane needed a hand I tossed a few sleep spells at the orochi. It wasn't enough to put it down since it had magic of its own, but it was a sufficient distraction to allow the others to knock it out. What was their plan here, anyway?

If they dragged it off to the other side of the lake or something it would just come back whenever it wanted. They couldn't exactly put it anywhere else. **Could** they drag something that big, even in water? Could I? I conjured some weighted bands and a vest to wear, then tossed an additional enchantment on my boots to keep the extra eight from transferring into the ground beneath me.

-

Wearing the weights and running around while I worked on other stuff was surprisingly effective at boosting my ability scores, given the low weight (for me) I'd started with. Washu seemed to have set the experience needed to gain a level or boost my stats pretty high to compensate for losing the upward curve, but if I was persistent about it I thought I might be able to hit 500 in each of my physical stats before Saffron showed up. A pair of Amazon youngsters showed up to try and get in between Xian Pu and Ranma, but [Elemental Bending] and [Mokuton/Plant Control] sent them packing. I also got to smite the most pathetic demon I'd ever seen, a cave full of idiot ghosts, and a possessed doll that Ranma spotted when they went on vacation. The damn thing was creepy as hell and just leaking malevolent energy. I had no idea why anyone would build a bed and breakfast type place themed around the thing.

Aside from that I mostly spent time with the family and Kasumi. Guinevere showed up infrequently, but always got some grooming time in while I told her what I'd been up to. I was actually kind of frustrated that Rouge, the canonical character with the asura curse, never showed up. Either emptying the springs or keeping Taro on ice had butterflied the event away. Reviewing the original timeline in my head showed that most of the interesting stuff was likely to pass me by at this point. The only significant events still likely to happen were Akari showing up, the cursed mirror that made freaky duplicates of people (which I wouldn't be going anywhere near), Konatsu showing up, a couple of people getting sick, and Saffron.

Remembering Konatsu's terrible living conditions and the fact that the "teahouse" he was forced to work at might not actually be destroyed without Happosai's influence I went and kidnapped the poor boy myself. When I offered him food and a place to stay he went very quiet and stared at me intensely. He pretty much vanished the moment I let him into the warehouse apartments and told him where the food was. I wondered briefly if the boy raised as a female ninja in a brothel running around unsupervised was a good idea, then modified the wards to prevent him from stealing anything or peeping on people. When he showed up again I'd offer him a bunch of money to get settled somewhere permanently or a chance to go with me when I left.

I'd initially meant to stay for a while after defeating Saffron, but the situation with Kasumi changed. She actually **had** found someone she liked in her night classes, and was slowly pulling away from me as she got to know him. It was what I'd wanted to happen eventually, but it still hurt. The way it was going I'd probably be an ex-boyfriend in a few months at most. Maybe she'd let me give him the shovel speech? No, probably not. I contemplated lending The Shovel to Soun for the occasion.

When it finally happened I made a point to congratulate her as sincerely as I could. I was happy that she was happy, but also disappointed I hadn't had more time with her. Seven months just hadn't been enough in my opinion. Ember had already moved to the warehouse apartments, and I followed. The worst part about the whole thing was that Kasumi seemed more upset about breaking up with me than I was. She was supposed to be happy to have found someone she might be able to spend her life with, but she was so sweet about the whole thing I was actually getting upset **for** her. I was the ex-boyfriend! This wasn't how things were supposed to work!

She told me I'd been very kind and sweet (except for trying to push her away), and she was glad we'd gotten together. It had apparently given her the courage to actually go out and ask her new paramour for a date. Did Nerima have therapists? I needed a therapist. And so did Kasumi. She was clearly terminally nice. I'd sort of accepted the serial romance situation, but I still felt bad for being terrible at it and giving Kasumi a hard time. Apparently I hadn't gotten any better at the dating game since I found Guinevere and we clicked, which was to say I was sweet but kind of pathetic. Ukyo's words, not mine. Ouch, by the way.

Konatsu eventually started showing up for breakfast, and I had to use magic to get his kitchen clean. He'd somehow managed to be a Cinderella type but had never cooked for himself because his relatives were afraid he'd poison them. They were right, but it was still weird. Ukyo and I started teaching him how to cook, and he insisted he was now my servant for life. I exchanged a glance with Ukyo behind his back and just told him I'd accept his services as long as he was willing to provide them, but we'd need to have a discussion. Servitude for room and board wasn't going to work for me, and he needed to know we'd actually be in a different world eventually before he made that kind of decision.

Arguing with the male kunoichi reminded me of Dobby from Harry Potter in some of the fanfiction I'd read. He was trying to negotiate for fewer benefits and less pay, while I was going the other way. After I explained the Jump-Chain, my age, my status as a shapeshifter, and my goal we took a bit of a break. When we came back to the table he agreed to accept a reasonable wage, health care, and two days off per month. I added him to the party for safety and communication purposes, and he quietly started obsessing over pleasing the family much like he'd obsessed over Ukyo in canon.

That night I got impatient, and together with several of my [Multi-Focus] threads decided to perform an experiment. We'd gotten the ghost thing working for individual body parts, but it was getting annoying that we all had to be in one place. I pulled out a pre-made wood clone-golem and shoved one of my threads into it with mind magic. It took all night to stop the process being horribly disorienting to the point of nausea, but when Ukyo woke up the next morning there were three of me in the apartment and eleven more of me elsewhere. I was blessedly alone in my own head, for once.

[By doing something special, you've created a new skill: Multi-Focus (Multi-Presence)!]

-

Wren 07 stalked through the undergrowth, watching his prey (Wren 02) search the riverbank for signs of his passage. Between enhanced senses, aura masking, invisibility, careful manipulation of the temperature of the air around him, and leaving no footprints the winner of their contest would be declared mostly based on sound and scent. [Mystical Energy (Body)] in controlled bursts allowed even those to be mitigated at the cost of making aura masking a great deal more difficult.

When his opponent was in just the right position, he pounced. Unfortunately a tiger coming from the other direction had the same idea, and both Wrens lost themselves in the nekoken in the middle of an Indian jungle.

-

That was weird and slightly scary. I pulled the two threads that'd lapsed into the nekoken state back and applied Gamer's Mind to calm them, since it wasn't overridden by the drawback in the absence of actual cats. The two clone golems they'd been occupying were an acceptable loss, and still maintained enough sentience to act in my best interest without the additional guidance.

I officially ended Mu Tsu, Ranma, and Ryoga's apprenticeships on September 23, 1990. They could all now control their curses, make minor but lasting arbitrary changes to their forms, heal themselves and others to some extent, and sense both mana and ki reliably and with precision. Using the smallest bit of illusion magic I'd taught them, Ryoga and Mu Tsu could also "talk" in their animal forms now. About a month later Ranma invited me to have dinner with the family and sat me between Akane and Xian Pu, which I thought was odd. It became a bit more clear what was going on when both of them started doing...interesting...things to me under the table while Ranma watched my face twitch with a grin.

I found out later that night the girls had wanted to try twin Ranmas for a while, and all three of them were randy enough to find experimentation with my shapeshifting ability fun. I ended up friends with benefits to the three, which was much more casual and easier to accept than what I'd shared with Kasumi. The mechanics of the relationship were a bit confusing, but it worked.

Ryoga did end up dating a young lady by the name of Unryu Akari. She raised some sort of bizarre attack pigs and was utterly obsessed to the point she was constantly comparing things to them. They'd met when Ryoga had heard her verbal tic in a nearby conversation and burst out laughing. When she confronted him over it he led her to a quiet place and showed her his piglet form, which she of course found adorable. Their introduction had been much different than in the original timeline, but they also got along better since Ryoga's curse was more of an optional thing for him now.

There were some inconsequential shovelings, the new year came and went, and Ranma proposed to Akane and Xian Pu. With Nodoka's guidance the trio decided to have one wedding in Japan for Akane and Ranma on January 31, 1991. Everyone would then take a trip to the Amazon village in China for a wedding between Xian Pu and the others the next day, which would be considered the official anniversary. Family and friends were contacted, the Amazons alerted, and even the Jusenkyo Guide and his daughter were invited to the second ceremony.

The Japanese ceremony was beautiful, and I provided teleportation to the Amazon village so people wouldn't have to bother with plane tickets or boats. The Amazon ceremony went wonderfully too, until the Phoenix People attacked [1]. They seemed to be after the Jusenkyo Guide and his daughter Plum, but some telekinesis and sleep spells put them down long enough to deal with after Ranma and the ladies had retired to a private home.


	31. Chapter 31

With the ceremony over and the newlyweds off celebrating, I said my goodbyes and took the opportunity to wrap a few things up. The Jusenkyo Guide and Plum were temporarily under the protection of the Amazons, so I didn't anticipate it being overly risky for them. I left the live chicken from my inventory with an Amazon family, then teleported to the cave I'd stashed Happosai inside. His presence still felt muted as if in sleep, but I brought myself to full combat-readiness anyway before rolling the boulder sealing the cave out of the way.

The old man was still snoozing, wrapped in chains and various holy talismans, so I took the remaining paper dolls I'd acquired from Gosunkugi and began writing. When I was finished I extracted Pantyhose Taro from my inventory, broke his curse, and set him so he could see the old man but wouldn't be getting out of his own chains anytime soon. After placing a paper doll on each of their backs, I dispelled the sleep effect. They both woke with a jerk, then Happosai declared that Pantyhose Taro's new name was Ron Jeremy [1] and escaped the chains as if they weren't even there. The newly-dubbed Ron looked confused but pleased, so I released his chains too.

Both dolls fell off, their work done and their magic spent. Both men would be compelled to live better lives without hurting or traumatizing others if they could help it, with Happosai given the additional instruction to seek out Hinako in Nerima for the ki-generating ball I'd given her in case he really did need to absorb female ki to live like in fanon. Another teleport brought me back to the Amazon village, where I instructed Ember, Konatsu, and Ukyo to head into the warehouse. I had a few plans, one of which relied on the sole remaining paper doll I'd written on but returned to my inventory.

The Jusenkyo Guide was confused when I asked him for the map of the springs, but complied easily enough and I copied it with a glance and a conjuration spell. I then departed for Jusenkyo with my captive phoenix warriors in my inventory. My physical stats were all pretty close to 500 now, but hadn't quite made it there. It'd have to do. I laid the warriors down on a safe patch of ground near the Guide's hut, cast an overpowered calming spell on each, and revived them. When they asked me what happened, I simply showed them the map and asked to be escorted to their leader before vanishing the chains. One of them tried to snatch it from my hand, and grumbled acceptance when I flew into the air to avoid the attempt.

I was escorted to Phoenix Mountain and approached by Saffron in his early teen form and his right hand Kiima. When he appeared I simply held out the map and asked if he would accept a challenge after his ascension in return for an artifact to help his people in the event he ever needed to be elsewhere. If I won I would collect a vial of his blood to be used immediately and in front of him so he could ensure I didn't curse him, and if he won I would stay for seven years helping his people above and beyond the artifact. He snatched the map from my hand rudely, but hearing that I wouldn't do anything to impede his ascension eased some of the tension on the faces of everyone there.

The bit about his blood he really didn't like, but at my blank look he called for his own sorcerers to check over the artifact I planned to give them and watch the process of using the blood in case he decided to accept the challenge. As we waited I conjured a glass ball about the size of my head, enchanted it to be indestructible, and slowly built of a series of three [Mystical Energy (Generator)]s inside anchored to the structure of the ball itself. He looked on with interest as first ki, then mana, then heat and light began to emanate from the enchanted sphere. Next I added an illusion to show the Mandarin symbols for life, energy, light, and fire on the surface and a stylized phoenix hovering above it.

My final additions to my creation were to tweak it such that the Phoenix People themselves (based on the examples I had around me) and Saffron could place a hand on any of the symbols to adjust the outflow, and that it could only be moved by me, Saffron, or his designated successor if he willed it. The last part was tricky and once again involved more will anything else to achieve, but settled well and gave me an idea of how to do it more efficiently in the future. Since the artifact was indestructible and could only be moved by those designated without breaking the enchantment, it was a fairly safe bet it would last awhile.

The sorcerers, stereotypically robed and hooded, arrived and inspected what I'd created with interest. As they related what they learned to Saffron himself his face went from stoic and skeptical to determined. It looked like he wanted to accept now if only to gain the priceless artifact and the chance I'd make similar things for his people over the next seven years. He could only barely sense my magic and ki when I worked though, and could sense nothing now that I was finished. He accepted my challenge and the orb reluctantly, and I began filling him in on the features his people had missed as we walked.

They brought me to an older bird-person who reminded me of a pheasant, then handed the man the map and asked me to wait outside. I did so, asking one of the guards about their culture and if there was anything I should know to avoid being rude. He answered my questions with reluctance and did his best not to give anything away beyond what I asked, giving me the impression that the Phoenix People were fairly reclusive by nature. That matched what I'd read in the manga, where Ku Lon had thought them long dead. I couldn't help but hear large portions of the conversation going on inside, but it was mostly uninteresting.

As long as he was allowed to specify the challenge was to unconsciousness or yield, Saffron was confident he could beat me since he had damn-near infinite energy and a significant resistance to harm both mundane and magical in his fully ascended form. Limiting us both to avoid killing protected his people, guaranteed they received the artifact, and might gain them the services of an apparently powerful and immensely skilled sorcerer for a number of years. His advisors were wary, but ultimately went along with it. A lackey was sent to show me to a room, where I prepared myself for the battle to come.

I'd learned from my fight with Herb, but hadn't had a chance to put what I learned to the test. I started with my [Barrier]s, carefully weaving them together into a solid composite instead of multiple layers. The would now block physical attacks and reflect supernatural attacks that I didn't explicitly allow through absolutely so long as I had the mana to do so. I set the barrier to allow pure thermal energy to pass both ways since I gained power from extreme temperatures, and for my own attacks to pass outward but not inward. Anything that I did that wasn't considered an attack would be unaffected by the defensive measure.

Part of my mind watched Saffron's ascendance ritual with interest via [Scry]. The sorcerers and advisors present didn't seem to notice anything, but Saffron himself looked around a few times as if feeling me watching but unable to locate the probe when the process was complete. I felt it when the spark of divinity he'd carried since we first met was empowered. It was still weaker than my own, but definitely noticeable. I shook my head. This was my end scenario? Physically at least he seemed less powerful than Herb, but his resistance to magic and other special techniques was higher according to [Observe].

I'd approach this logically, then. My best bet to incapacitate him was to overwhelm his magical resistance and simply put him to sleep. To that end I started charging a massively-overpowered sleep spell. My next best option was to restrain him, which meant keeping him still and unable to fight back despite his ability to control the temperature and possibly other things around him. A pair of [Multi-Focus] threads were tasked with creating a copy of my own defensive barrier but turned inward so as to reflect attacks back on the one inside and to lock both the barrier and the prisoner in place with telekinesis.

If my first two options failed I'd have to overpower the man physically and shut down his abilities with some combination of [Counter/Dispel (Universal Nullification)], [Elemental Bending], [Mystical Energy (Void)], and [Mystical Energy (Drain)]. Just to be safe, I started subtly shifting the internal structure of my body to be denser and more resistant to damage, then did the same for the dragon scales that covered my body under my clothing. I would allow them to cover me completely when the battle started, but would skip the wings since I could fly without them.

An overpowered [Freedom of Movement] that should last about twenty-four hours , [Mana Protection], and [Mystical Energy (Generator)] to fuel [Mystical Energy (Mastery)] and keep my regeneration high enough that my supply was essentially infinite followed. I'd drop a [Haste] on top of all that when we started, and [Active Precognitive Defense] was pretty much always running now. If things got really bad...well, I had a lot of spells up my sleeves now. I'd work it out or spend a few years helping Saffron's people.

-

When we finally faced off it was above the mountains a few kilometers away from anything valuable. There wasn't really anything to hurt out here that would be badly missed. We hovered in the air across from each other with several advisors and Kiima watching with telescopes, far-sight spells, and other such things from Phoenix mountain. Saffron, now in adult form and leaking energy all over the place, looked spooked that he still couldn't feel my aura or any other sign that I was there. My magical items were stored or turned off, but at this point I probably could have kept him from sensing them regardless.

A terrific boom erupted from the observers on the mountain to signal the beginning of the match, and I simultaneously cast [Haste], a sleep spell that cost half of my total unreserved mana, grabbed Saffron with telekinesis, and cast my inverted barrier over him. I blinked. My opponent was slumped over inside the barrier, completely insensate. The sleep spell had overpowered his defenses as if they weren't even there. There was no epic battle, just me being a hell of a lot faster and getting in a technique that instantly ended the confrontation followed by a bunch of non-lethal overkill. Just in case, I flew closer to where he was contained in the barrier and stretched my [Mystical Energy (Sense)] over both him and the surroundings looking for anything even the least bit suspicious. The only thing I found was that one of the goats below had been some other kind of animal before being cursed at Jusenkyo.

With a sigh I started tugging the trapped Saffron back toward the mountain. I could see the disbelief on the faces of those watching from here with my improved eyesight, and briefly contemplated giving them a show of power to justify what they'd seen. It wasn't worth it, though. If Saffron himself contested his defeat maybe it would become necessary, but it was otherwise a useless expenditure of energy that would only harm the local environment regardless of how sparse life was in the area. Also it might be visible from space, and I had no idea when people started monitoring the surface in this world or if someone would mistake such a display for a nuclear test and come investigate. If it came down to it I could create a really big instant dungeon and put on some sort of ridiculous power display there.

The spectators backed away from me and my prisoner in awe, and I woke him up with a handwave when we were back on the ground. The inside of the barrier lit up with fire like a giant oblong light bulb for a moment, then died down to show a confused Saffron studying the barrier around him. He poked it with a finger, bounced some ki off of it, then looked me right in the eye.

"I never had a chance, did I?"

I shook my head ruefully, and he groaned. The others on the balcony seemed not to know how to react to that. I released my hold on the Phoenix Lord and he approached, then clapped me on the shoulder and congratulated me heartily. As he lead me back toward his chambers he asked if I was also the one to humble Herb, and my nod caused him to break out in hysterical laughter. By this point only Kiima was still following us, and she seemed to be trying to choose between feeling curiosity and terror.

When we arrived at Saffron's quarters he instructed me to sit and called for a meal. Kiima stood guard outside the door, and I quietly explained to Saffron that I was in the final stages of preparing to move on from this world to another. He was immensely curious, and I didn't see any harm in filling him in on the Jump-chain and my objectives. It turned out he was a very honorable man, but utterly ruthless in defense of his people. I could respect that, and understood why he'd emphasized it before giving me his blood. The meal was exquisite, though my answer to his question of what I planned to do once I had my reward actually caused him to snort in laughter.

"Truly? You wish to have a phoenix form of your own? With your power? That's it?" He asked incredulously. I nodded in reply, and Guinevere showed up in a fireball to land on my shoulder. She sang something at Saffron, whose eyes widened both at her arrival and whatever she'd communicated to him. Mentally, her presence leaned against mine and squeezed like the best hug ever. I smiled warmly at her, Saffron watching us across the table now with keen eyes.

"I accept both of your proposals. I have not seen a pure phoenix in many thousands of years. Even the more bird-like descendants here are bloated, irredeemably stupid parodies of what they once were. Guinevere will force a burning upon us both, granting you access to both pure and part phoenix forms and me the ability to regenerate fully without the ascension ritual. In return my people will add the both of you to our pantheon of gods. You will also receive your vial of blood, provided you promise never to use it to harm me or mine." I did a mental double-take. What?

"But...I don't need the blood if I gain the form without it." He shrugged, unconcerned.

"You will have it or something of equal value. I will not go back on my word." I thought for a few minutes as we continued to eat. The only other thing I wanted was a way to continue producing Jusenkyo water or a safer equivalent after I left. If I could take or study the source of the springs I might be able to do just that. When I asked him if that was an option he seemed contemplative.

"Let me take you to the source for study before we make a decision. That is easy enough, and may make the question of taking it less important. My people gained their wings from the springs and the Musk relied on them until recently, but other than that they were only important to me for the fact I needed them to ascend. If that is no longer the case then taking the source may be best for all involved," he said thoughtfully. "Once we've finished our meal and had our burning, that is."

Once we'd finished and the table was cleared, Saffron guided me to a cavern with lava streaming far below us. The fumes were only mildly bothersome due to some kind of magical ventilation system below us, and the heat only made me more energetic. Saffron explained that homes for his people were built in caverns like this, pointing out some higher up as examples, for warmth, light, and the updraft to easily leave. Unfortunately there were not enough of them within Phoenix mountain to support the population, so the orb I'd given them would be immensely valuable as it would open up a new place for them to expand without him needing to be there. They could and had attempted to redirect active lava flows, but every time they did threatened the balance of the mountain itself and could cause catastrophic failure in any number of ways.

We stood nude and back-to-back on an undeveloped outcropping of rock not long after, and Guinevere stood on my shoulder. My current form's red hair waved in the breeze generated by the heat coming from below, and I wondered briefly what this would feel like. A piercing cry brought my attention back to the present as phoenix song filled the cavern and silver-white flames started to crawl up from my feet to my legs. It didn't hurt, but I could see the flesh and bone blacken and flake away in motes of light that disappeared not far from where we stood. I didn't fall when my legs burned away, nor did I experience any trouble breathing when my chest and arms followed. When the impossible flames reached my head my sight was lost in a cascade of color, sound, and motion before everything stilled.

I was shorter, and could feel the wings on my back brushing against someone else's. A glance over my shoulder revealed a child Saffron, already beginning to grow back to his adult form before my eyes. He glowed with power and vitality, his pointed ears were slightly more pronounced, and his amber eyes were wide in wonder. [Holy] surged within me and I, too, began to rise in stature. When I reached the roughly nineteen years old my body had been before, another surge of energy (ki and mana this time) flowed through me causing the wings I'd curled around me to turn from flesh to energy and back. A bunch of notifications popped up in front of me and I mentally moved them to the side of my vision as a matter of habit. Such things were best examined when I had time to contemplate them.

A summoning spell brought my clothing and equipment back to me, and I equipped them immediately rather than getting dressed manually. Saffron snorted in amusement behind me, and I patiently waited for him to get dressed while I tested my ability to grow wings of energy and retract them. I'd practice with the physical ones once I'd modified the enchantments on my clothing to adapt to them without ripping. At the moment they only resized themselves to accommodate changes in my form.

-

Deep within the caverns beneath Jusendo and even the Jusen Cave in which Saffron's transformation took place was an ancient mechanism of makeshift pipes and an ugly magical statue fountain. The fountain itself had a central spout that was attached to one of the pipes and a series of pipes leading from the walls of the cave into its basin. It radiated magic such that even the uninitiated would have been able to feel it up close. Examining it with [Mystical Energy (Sense)] revealed an extremely complicated mechanism that converted the excess water in the fountain into pure magical energy, shifted it toward an affinity with life and rebirth, then ejected it from the central spout. The more water there was in the system the stronger the outflow would be, and considering the fact that there seemed to be a large and steady supply of water going it I could only imagine the pressure of what was going out.

I was both disappointed and excited. Disappointed because this wasn't some irreplaceable magical artifact that I could learn a lot from, and excited because while it didn't give me a whole lot of new information on magical techniques it **did** give me a lot of ideas. Conversion of matter to magical energy and back again was something I'd theoretically figured out a while ago with conjuration and experimentation with the vanishing spell, but a system like this that interacted with nature itself to create a very powerful permanent magical landscape wasn't something I'd considered before. I thanked Saffron for allowing me to study it, he prepared and gave me a vial of his blood, then after a quick conversation I teleported back to the Amazon village to say goodbye and make sure everyone who was coming with me was in the warehouse before we left. I'd asked Saffron about the blood but he'd only smiled and said he trusted me.

[Alternate form attained: True Phoenix!]  
[Alternate form attained: Humanoid Phoenix!]  
[Barrier has gained two levels!]  
[Form template attained: Part-Phoenix!]  
[Observe has reached level 100 and become Observe/Divine!]  
[Phoenix Rebirth perk added!]  
[Multi-Focus has gained a level!]  
[Mystical Energy (Mastery) has reached level 100 and become Mystical Energy (Mastery, Advanced)!]  
[Quest Complete! Personally defeat Saffron after his ascension!]  
[You've gained five levels!]

-

**Phoenix Rebirth (Ranma ½ End Reward)**  
_When Wren would otherwise die or be slain, he and all his equipment instead burn away into ash then motes of light. He is reborn in a flash of fire as an egg anywhere he is familiar with in whichever universe he died in or in his Warehouse if it's available. Wren may choose to be reborn near a person or object he's familiar with instead, but won't have get any idea of the location if he chooses this option. He hatches from the egg with equipment intact and rapidly matures over the course of a week to whatever form he occupied when he died. If killed again before the week is up Wren cannot use Phoenix Rebirth to save himself, but may rely on other powers until he reaches maturity._

_This perk was earned by defeating Saffron the Phoenix Prince/Kami at full power and augmented by being in a Jump-Chain that allowed retries and Death's Blessing._


	32. Chapter 32

When I arrived back at the cosmic warehouse and the portal to Ranma ½ shut down, Washu appeared with Ember, Konatsu, and Ukyo. The latter two stepped forward.

"So, that's it?" Ukyo asked. "We can't go home again unless you specifically travel there?" She and Konatsu both looked apprehensive. When I nodded Konatsu smiled and Ukyo looked resigned. It was tough leaving friends behind, but I was glad she'd decided to come with me. Hugs were passed around (even Washu got a few), then we got to the business at hand.

"Well, I have something special for you this Jump. You're going somewhere you don't like very much to help out a bit and get some practice using your powers, so I'll be fairly generous. Depending on how you feel after the first one I may send you in again to clean up a fragmented timeline I'd have otherwise just erased." Washu said. My eye twitched. I knew she could set arbitrary Jumps and basically control the whole damn thing, but it was still irritating. I approached the hard-light console she waved into existence and groaned.

"Really? Naruto? You know I've never actually seen anything but fanon for it, right? And that I don't much care for most of that? Also: why are all these perks locked and free?" I asked.

"Well, if you look at the descriptions you'll see that you actually have the equivalent of each of them already. This way you get any side benefits you didn't already have and fiat-backing in case there's ever a problem with them in the future. Now make your selections!" A resigned look crossed my face and I turned back to the console. Naruto was the only visible jump available, but the scroll bar wasn't locked. I looked around and found a few supplements, then grinned with delight when I saw Generic Builder was available.

Builders as a concept were introduced to me via Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfiction, in which Jesse, Willow, and/or Xander started talking about how there were tons of fantasy and science fiction settings with random structures in the middle of nowhere that served no purpose other than to be a dungeon. In addition, they were often far from settlements, resources, and other things one would typically find near large-scale construction projects. The theorized solution was a mythical race called Builders, who were basically shapeshifters that went around constructing stuff and creating soulless minions to populate dungeons for no reason other than that it was fun. They were also tremendously powerful tech and magic gurus in Jump-Chains, only got better with age, got a free extra life ability, and becoming one then dropping into another Jump with all the benefits of both was free.

I selected it and started chuckling under my breath. Builders were point hogs too, but I had a lovely fresh bank of 5000 points waiting to be spent in addition to what I got from Builder and Naruto. I rubbed my hands together and my chuckle escalated into loud maniacal laughter. Washu whacked me on the back of the head, saw what I'd selected, and laughed.

"You're still going to Naruto. I hadn't meant for you to take that until you got somewhere more advanced, but I can't blame you for taking it early given you really need time to get better at it. It also sort of qualifies for an alternate form if you squint and tilt your head a bit."

I nodded and kept scrolling and clicking. My bank was going to take a serious hit from this. I got a bunch of freebies for being a Builder, but some of them could be upgraded. I made sure to take the optional "you never get bored anymore" option for Fun is Fun and Building is Fun, then added the teleportation option to reformation. As a drop-in I got Magical Makeover for free and discounts on HUD and Magical Assembly. Mana Substitution was marked free as per Washu since I had conjuration, which was actually more efficient. Claiming was going to be necessary, and Theme could be helpful. That left me eating into my banked points.

Dimensional Addition and Subtraction was also marked free since I could already do that with Harry Potter magic, but Builder Creation and the Smith, Artisan, Craftsman, Tree Singing, Minion Affinity (Research and Development), Tinker, Soft Physics, and Portal Creation knacks all cost a boatload of points together. A note from Washu notified me that my Builder Inventory would be infinite because of the way it interfaced with my Gamer inventory and I drooled a little. Home Blueprint was free and I got a small budget to spend on equipment and additional blueprints before I started back into my banked points.

I purchased the Wireless Printer, Lab Blueprint, Monster Spawn Blueprint, Shop Blueprint, Minion Factory Blueprint, Factory Blueprint, and a Mana Collector before hitting the mandatory Crossover drawback to put me in the world of Naruto. Altogether it cost me 2,650 points from my bank, leaving me 2,350 to work with. Moving on to the Naruto build required me to have a conversation with Washu, so I beckoned her over.

"What do you need?"

"Unless I take a scenario there's no specified starting time, which I'd like to call Rules as Written on. If I arrive just in time to make friends with Minato and Kushina as kids I might make it onto Jiraiya's team and get free tutoring from all three." Washu blinked at me, then offered an alternative.

"You're right that there's no specified limit to how long you can spend in this universe. I thought you'd want to be in and out as quickly as possible, but I'd really prefer you spend time to get used to your abilities and stay above water sanity-wise. How about you take the Enduring Whirlpool scenario [1]? It'll get you access to top-notch tutors, a nice comfortable lifestyle, and the end reward is a ton of fiat-backed knowledge on the Naruto-verse version of runic magic: sealing. I'll throw in the Uzumaki bloodline and Fuinjutsu prodigy for free since you basically have them already. The only benefits you'll really get will be some minor stat bumps, accelerated learning for seals, and a new skill you could have developed on your own. As a special bonus: consider yourself both clan-born and orphaned for free. It'll work out when we establish your background. You'll still want additional goals for quest experience though," she trailed off.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad? It was almost going to be a creative mode build with how many points and freebies I had available. Everyone got basic training and gear for free, but Washu had given me both types of Chakra Enhancement Specialization, Fine Control, all versions of Elemental Chakra Affinity, Sensor Ninja Training, Medical Ninjutsu Training, Jutsu Mastery, Fuinjutsu Prodigy, the Mokuton/Wood Release bloodline ability, the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki bloodlines, and an import for the Shovel of Light to be a chakra weapon too because I more-or-less had them already! If I worded it right in the coming discussion I could actually start out the ruler of Whirlpool given how my mixed backgrounds interacted.

A quick perusal of the document granted me You Have Reserves, Bukijutsu Specialization, Therapy No Jutsu, Talk No Jutsu, Plot Armor, and Genius of Hard Work. I was already dipping into my bank again, but had plenty more to spend. I was about to select the Hyuuga bloodline when I stopped to consider something. If Washu was fiat-backing things I could already do for free, why not improve what I could do? A combination of [Scry] and [Mystical Energy (Sense)] yielded the new skill [Panoramic Survey]. Washu took one look at the notification, rolled her eyes, and waved her hand to make the Lost Hyuuga perk free. I was a little busy being dizzy from the increased sensory input to notice this, but it passed quickly and it was helpfully highlighted so I moved on to the section about companions.

I called a quick conference with the family (and Konatsu) to discuss details, then selected clan-born Senju and Uzumaki with You Have Reserves, Fine Control, and different elemental affinities for each of them. Konatsu and Ukyo both spoke up in favor of a little stability before they moved on again, since the description of the scenario didn't seem like it would keep us here all that long given my power and I promised to keep that in mind when setting my goals. Washu was all for it too, of course.

"Alright, ready to go?" She asked. I looked thoughtfully at my purchases before addressing her.

"We need to take some of my banked training time first. Can I finalize these purchases and still use it before we leave?"

"Sure! That's what it's there for, after all! Time you spend out in the main area of the warehouse won't count against your banked training time unless you're actually training."

"That's great, Washu! Thanks. We'll take a little family time before we start then. Do I just call for you when we're ready to go?" She smiled at me, then waved to a previously unused section of wall that now held a high-tech looking door.

"I'll be in my lab with monitors set on your progress. Knock if you need me, since you won't be able to get in. I'm not giving up my designs to your new builder powers, after all!" I nodded, finalized my purchases, thanked her, then led my companions to the gardens to catch up and discuss training. We'd start work after we'd eaten and rested.

-

With dedication, judicious use of the party system, [Impart Knowledge / Tutor], and my ability to conjure skill books my companions were all proficient in the Druidic anti-aging technique, aura masking, basic chakra healing, the Breaking Point technique, [Dodge], [Holy], [Mokuton/Plant Manipulation], [Multi-Focus], [Mystical Energy (Mastery, Basic)], [Mystical Energy (Sense)], [Physical Endurance], Potterverse spellcasting, shape-shifting, [Telepathy], [Telekinesis], [Weapon Mastery], and teleportation in only a few months. Gaining experience both fighting together and to master those skills took a lot longer and some inventive uses of the training room.

We worked on killing zombies first to get everyone used to life-fire violence, then graduated to human opponents like the ones I'd seen in the Ranma ½ universe. Konatsu and Ukyo were both physically ill and needed time to recover after our first session there. Even knowing their opponents weren't real people (I could tell they didn't have souls, and Washu assured them the same) didn't allow them to completely come to terms with killing things that looked like humans, but they eventually got better at handling it. Ember honestly didn't seem to be bothered by it at all, but that might have been a result of her being a predatory pokémon before she was ever human. It still bothered me a bit when I faced real opponents, but these weren't.

From the basic martial artists we moved onto ogres and a few other things I'd seen in The Gamer. Demons turned out to be especially easy for all of us, given our access to both [Holy] and [Mokuton/Plant Manipulation]. All the while our teamwork got better and better. Telepathy allowed us to work without even looking at each other since we were able to both sense each other and communicate instantly. When ogres and demons were no longer sufficient I built Konatsu and Ukyo a set of equipment to match mine and Ember's, then took the time to train them in their use.

My physical stats had finally pushed past 500 each, and the rewards were pretty great. I could now fit anything in my inventory I could conceivably lift, which included use of my various powers. Between my base strength, buffs, telekinesis, spells for weightlessness and shrinking, and a whole host of other things I could probably shove a mountain in my inventory if I tried hard enough. I now had a completely non-magical haste-like effect and massively improved maximum health and health regeneration, too!

Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara as I'd seen them in The Gamer were faced repeatedly, both as individuals and as a team. I had to do a lot of healing and some extra blocking to keep everyone going until we were familiar enough with our opponents and fast enough that nobody was near-death by the end of each fight. We would have kept going, but my companions didn't have perks that kept them from getting bored and made them enjoy training like I did. Relaxing and down time outside of training helped, but my companions needed more social time with other people. Almost exactly a year of time-compression after we started training we voted to stop for the moment in order to avoid going insane. I knocked on Washu's door.

"Well, well! What a team! We'll have to discuss your background, now. Given that you've all practiced together a lot I was thinking I'd start you as genin about to be field-promoted to chunin. Konatsu here is the team leader if you don't recall. I'm looking at you, Wren. You've been directing most of the operations telepathically, but you need to be careful and visibly defer to Konatsu for the moment." I nodded, looking a little sheepish and getting smiles from my teammates, then setting some goals for the Jump based on what I already knew.

"As for exactly what's going on: I'm dropping you in the deep end, as it were. When you received your Jump memories you all got the basics of your roles in life and your peers, but none of you got family except each-other. That's because in-Jump you're going to be related, and when you arrive the current head of the Uzumaki family will have just been assassinated. A group of Mist ninja will be trying to capture or kill Wren and Ember in particular as the next in line to lead the Uzumaki clan since using you as hostages or informants could make the attack they're planning much less costly. Konatsu and Ukyo will be cousins from different branches of the family that happened to interbreed with the Senju at some point."

"Ah," I interrupted. "If we're going in the deep end right away we should probably all be Builders so we get a chance to re-spawn instead of dying. That is, if everyone's alright with that?" Heads nodded all around, and a short ritual followed by some claiming of individual rooms and apartments had my team sorted out. I'd already claimed the entirety of the warehouse dimension and its two parallels, but adding exceptions was fairly easy. Washu picked up where she left off when we were all gathered again.

"I've given you all the perks and elemental affinities appropriate to your new skills and made sure your histories reflect both your personalities and your mental abilities. Wren's history includes him being a super-prodigy and prolific craftsman. Does anyone have any issues with the backstory?" Washu asked. We discussed details for a while and the others had their new Jump memories refreshed since for them it'd been a year since they received them. "Alright folks, this is it! Any questions?"

Before I could even shake my head I was walking across the waves with my teammates, just off the coast of Fire Country heading back toward Whirlpool. [Mystical Energy (Sense)] immediately kicked in, and I realized Washu wasn't kidding about being thrown in the deep end. A sweep with my new [Panoramic Survey] saw a whole school of massive chakra-trained sharks moving to encircle us from below and about a dozen Mist ninja of varying power spread around, some of them even on the beach behind us. There wasn't any room to escape for a normal team, but we were far from normal. The telepathic alert went out and we all broke into a sprint across the water while I conjured a powerful explosive note, primed it, and shot it into the water below us right into the middle of the sharks.

[Quest alert: Enduring Whirlpool!]  
[Quest alert: Bastion!]  
[Quest alert: Hippie agenda!][2]  
[Quest alert: Enduring Peace!]

The muffled explosion and surge of water only helped us accelerate away from the apparent ambush, and the ninja behind us gave chase even as the ones under water died or struggled toward the surface after my impromptu depth charge. Most of the sharks were dead or had vanished, leaving me wondering if they'd all been summons or not. My background knowledge didn't actually include an encyclopedic knowledge of the way every summoning contract worked after all. I was the next in line to lead the clan because of an unfortunate series of accidents befalling those between me and the current head over the last several months, and was an orphan with only Ember as my sister for immediate relations.

Pretty much everyone was suspicious of what was happening at this point, but with tensions rising in the rest of the world and our limited numbers we hadn't wanted to start a war with the immediate suspects. That was actually why everyone was being recalled and we were on our way home. Our orders were to get back and convene with the family head to develop a plan of action, but from what Washu told us the family head would be dead before we got there. We needed more information.

'_I think we need to take a couple of our attackers captive_,' I sent to the team. '_If we make sure to kill the rest we can teleport back to Whirlpool without revealing that particular power. Just in case, we'll leave a flash of light in imitation of the second Hokage's version of the Flying Thunder God teleportation technique. Sound good?_' Ember's approval was near-instant, but Konatsu and Ukyo took a little longer. They were both aware these were real people, but the memories they'd gained from their backgrounds and our training would see them through. I dove below the surface and used a combination of actual swimming, flight, and [Elemental Bending] to approach the remaining foes at speed with the Shovel of Light in hand.

I heard either gunshots or a whole lot of explosive tags from above me, and got a brief image of Ember unloading on the approaching enemies with her pistols. They didn't last long enough to turn back in fear, and I grimaced. I really hadn't meant to reveal those yet either, but as long as there were no witnesses we should be fine. Even now Konatsu was sighting with his sniper rifle and Ukyo was watching for threats around and below them while I advanced through the opponents left alive underwater. As from the sharks there was only one kunoichi and one shinobi left alive down here, both wearing rebreathers. I hit them with powerful sleep spells and killed the sharks by crushing them with telekinesis.

My captives went in my inventory and I took another look around with both [Mystical Energy (Sense)] and [Panoramic Survey]. Both were active at all times now, but even after a year of using the latter it was still taking time to get used to. There! The ambush had two scouts posted pretty far away to watch what happened, and only one of them was still in a position for Konatsu to reach him with his rifle. I pointed him out telepathically then teleported directly behind the other with an effect that made it look like I was dropping an invisibility technique. He never saw The Shovel coming, and went down like a sack of bricks. A surreptitious sleep spell and a bit of [Holy] to make sure he lived later, I heaved the unconscious man over my shoulder and applied an actual invisibility spell to the both of us before checking around again.

[You've gained a level!]

Nothing. The only living things in my extended sight looked natural or were members of my team. I raced back out onto the water while Ember collected the bodies of the slain and whatever loot had been dropped. When everyone was together I teleported us to a secluded location just outside the village gates, pulled out our other two captives, and we proceeded from there carrying them normally. The gate guard was triple what it would have normally been, and their eyes lit up when they saw both us and our captives. Konatsu called for someone to pick them up while we got checked in, and we were directed to head for the administrative building for debriefing. I only barely remembered to tweak the sleep spells on our captives to read as genjutsu before they were taken for interrogation.


	33. Chapter 33

Being instated as the new leader of a small island nation was surprisingly quick. The council were taking care of everyday stuff until I had a chance to hand out new marching orders, and my team was assigned to stay with me as guards. We'd all been field-promoted to chunin, then I'd been hand-waved into jounin position for escaping the ambush, bringing in live prisoners with valuable information, and so they didn't look quite as silly as they otherwise would instating a low-ranked child as their leader. According to Washu and the scenario we had a year to prepare for the oncoming attack that would otherwise wipe out the Land of Whirlpools, but I wanted things ready long before that.

I had people stockpiling food in storage scrolls and other areas, seal-masters and hundreds of scrolls on their way to see me, and courier birds sending encoded messages to Leaf's military leader, Uzumaki Mito, and Uzumaki Kushina. Paperwork was everywhere, but clones and [Multi-Focus] helped to get through it. Given that one of the first scrolls to arrive contained the shadow clone technique I had little doubt the previous clan head had done something similar. I devoted a few threads and their associated clone-golems to using that and my medical knowledge to come up with a way to run conjured flesh and blood clone-golems instead of the wood I was using now.

[Quest alert: Multiplicity!][1]

With the scroll copied and absorbed in private, shadow clones flooded the village and the world at large once said clones were able to find places from which to teleport. Several went to Leaf, to ensure the birds arrived and any questions were answered as much as to gather resources. I needed a year or more worth of food, drink, sealing equipment, etc. for twenty or more people. I also needed to make sure I didn't give away the game when I tried to sell my time-dilated instant dungeon as a forbidden technique that took a toll on the caster. With a sigh I brought up my perks menu and purchased occlumency, since it gave me the fiat-backed ability to lie with a straight face.

[Spent 100cp; 2050 banked cp remaining]  
[Occlumency perk added, Mind Magic enhanced]

The remaining clones were gathering and duplicating documents, scanning everything they could for Builder blueprints, and doing a detailed survey of the islands. What I found matched my memories, but wasn't great. The city was protected by walls and barrier seals but not adequately. Since it spanned multiple islands there were plenty of ways for ninja to enter, and as a bustling trade community travel was hardly restricted at all. The only thing really keeping us safe was the Uzumaki reputation, and I already knew people had overcome their fear of that.

I started drawing up plans to build underground, underwater, in the skies, and even in extra-dimensional spaces. Logistics for how to cram as many people into as small a place as possible without losing necessities flew through my head alongside plans for traps, redundancies, long-term production methods, ways to hide landmasses, and more. The few times I was away from my desk I was absorbing large masses of waste product from landfills, abandoned and condemned structures, and scrap yards.

Another bunch of clones was sent through a portal back to my warehouse both to scan the portal and everything else in the warehouse and to sift through both the stored books for information on warding, the fidelius charm, magical agriculture, and other helpful bits and bobs that came up during my planning. A query to Washu resulted in more clones using a key in my inventory to enter the empty copy of my warehouse I'd earned during my stay in The Gamer and creating instant dungeons to work on adapting seals to recreate some of the objects I could enchant.

I was especially interested in getting power generators, temperature control, faux-skies, infinite water, space expansion, and vanishing abilities working with seals so my people could use them once I was no longer available to enchant things. There were a few dedicated to projects I thought less likely to succeed like duplicating my inventory system, conjuring food and other more complex objects, and using [Instant Dungeon/Genesis] to create a copy of the Whirlpool islands themselves in a stable sub-dimension, but if any of them worked they would be a big help.

[Quest update: Bastion!]

Another group of clones went out to gather plant cuttings, fish, livestock animals, etc. for breeding. A check-in with my clones and clone-golems brought me the news that anything with one of my [Multi-Thread]s in it seemed to eat into my banked time compression, but giving shadow clones [Mystical Energy (Generator)]s and sending them in into even time-stopped instant dungeons did not.

Between my perks allowing me to study endlessly with ever-increasing returns, the empowered shadow clones being able to create more of themselves, Gamer's Body keeping me from taking actual brain damage when years or even decades of accumulated memories from instant dungeons finally hit me, my ridiculous durability, and my ability to heal myself from the HP loss I got everything I wanted and more.

[Quest update: Bastion!]  
[Quest update: Hippie Agenda!]

Before that I'd been only peripherally aware of exactly how over-powered my ability to leave things in super-accelerated time compared to the rest of the world was, but what my clones brought back to me was amazing. Also overkill, but amazing nonetheless. Before the end of the day I had power generators and batteries built with seals that could power an entire city on my home world for decades. Using just one of these as a final gambit would not only destroy the city and any attackers within it, the islands themselves might be destroyed too.

My clones from that group looked back at me with serious looks after I recovered from assimilating the knowledge of the one that had dispelled to convey the information. I telepathically directed them to write up detailed plans on creating and maintaining the devices both with seals and with my own magic, then work on a way to limit the damage (potential nuclear fallout and EMP included) and concentrate it in a single area. I'd keep copies of both in the warehouse, but the seal-masters of Whirlpool would get the sealing instructions.

[Quest update: Hippie Agenda!]

The completed power batteries were to go toward the effort of re-creating a pristine copy of the islands complete with sustainable ecosystem, since that had to be actively directed and couldn't run under time compression all the time with me constantly feeding the clone crews additional information and orders. The basics of a new city plan were coming together quickly, but figuring out how to evacuate the citizens into the extra-dimensional space and do maximum damage to the coming enemy was a bit slower.

Every time I got a level up notification for [Multi-Focus] I immediately set it to another task, and every new level of [Instant Dungeon/Genesis], [Conjuration], and [Crafting] gave me more hope. Unfortunately the time I was able to work myself in-between healing and telepathically coordinating was getting slim, so I had to dedicate shadow clones to watching over me and keeping me both healed and conscious when the larger bursts of information came in. I seemed to be getting used to it over time, taking less damage for equal amounts of information, but even so I'd need to start using [Mana Protection] soon.

[Quest update: Multiplicity!]

-

The various seal-masters of Whirlpool met me the evening after we'd arrived in the Naruto universe. They alternately gaped and stared at me in concern after seeing the number of clones running around the islands and my new office, and they'd barely seen a hundredth of the number I had actually running around. I'd started to consciously shapeshift into an older form of my current body over time, so while I'd started the Jump looking thirteen I now looked like I was in my late teens. I refused to allow the medic they called to examine me, telling them I was using a technique that was technically forbidden because of the cost to the user, and that the medic couldn't tell me anything I didn't already know.

They'd most likely need a new Uzumaki head within the decade, and Ember had refused the position. They argued that I had to stop and lead my people instead of giving into obsession, so I revealed the information that'd been extracted from our prisoners: Mist and Cloud had allied against us and were building for a huge invasion that would come within a year. My team were supposed to be tortured and turned traitor by any means necessary before being either released back to the village to sabotage our defenses from within or used as living keys to bypass the walls of seals if we couldn't be turned. Several Uzumaki and other ninja from our village had already been captured, but most had died before they could be turned and the others my prisoners couldn't account for.

Premature aging, I argued, was a small price to pay to protect my people. The Uzumaki clan would survive and continue to serve the village without me. What I needed them for was to plan and create new defenses for the village. I would use the same forbidden technique that was causing my condition to give them and several of my clones two years of extra time to plan and develop techniques and strategies under the assumption that the village itself would be overwhelmed but we'd have a secure place to retreat to. Their priorities were to ensure the safety of the evacuating people and the death of our enemies above all else.

I spent three hours arguing with them before I was able to reveal the new island project and the weaponized power generators/batteries I'd come up with the ensure nothing was left behind. That prompted even more arguing, which only died down when they had to leave or fall asleep in my office. The next two weeks were hellish. The seal-masters and other workers I'd invited saw the sub-dimensional islands and the army of clones I had working on them and started asking questions again, but were less intrusive this time.

Our future home was nearly big enough to be self-sustaining at that point, and had an artificial sky and weather already added to it. The edges looked like thick glass bordering a blue-black void where they weren't covered by the sky or some other feature. Plants were everywhere thanks to [Mokuton/Plant Control], and animals were being spawned by temporary minion factories.

[Quest update: Bastion!]

By the time they agreed to what I'd asked I looked like I was in my early twenties, and I'd slowed the artificial aging a bit. Sending them all into extreme time dilation with a [Multi-Focus] clone then setting my age to somewhere in my mid fifties in the few minutes it took them to exit was easy. Keeping up several other [Multi-Focus] threads to parse the information coming from the one in time-dilation was not, but I'd spaced it out a bit so it was still possible.

Their expressions when they left the instant dungeon were sad but determined. They'd gone through most of the food I'd had gathered for them and completed every project I assigned them and more. I was now a qualified seal master thanks to their training, and they'd learned the ideas behind using seals to permanently conjure things, gather and generate energy, open portals to and from our future home, and expand spaces.

[Quest update: Hippie agenda!]  
[Quest update: Multiplicity!]

With their report complete and their orders issued to start refitting the city defenses I called for the council and advised them of the coming changes, but didn't give them any details other than what was needed to keep the city running. When I finally heard back from Uzumaki Mito, the seal at the bottom of the missive included exactly what I'd been hoping for. If my first plan for the tailed beasts failed, knowing how to seal them without calling on Death and sacrificing my soul would be vital. Knowing how to keep people from talking about certain secrets was even better, but convincing people of the necessity would be difficult. What if there was another way, though?

-

The inside of the new sub-dimension I'd created had been dubbed Bastion by the seal-masters and other laborers who worked on it. Having a name and not being widely-known already made it theoretically easy to hide with the fidelius charm, but my inexperience with the charm and desire to both modify it and integrate it into the wards meant it took a massive amount of mana and several days to get it right. The fidelius portion of the ward would drop during the evacuation and reactivate after, giving our attackers the idea that everyone had been killed or escaped some other way. Those inside the wards wouldn't be affected unless they were in the prison areas, since it would make it very difficult to live properly never knowing where you were.

Using the same technique I'd used on the warehouse to add lay-lines to the land allowed me to supercharge any defenses I'd eventually add and maintain an energy-rich environment for those who lived inside. Using techniques from sealing and [Mystical Energy (Concealment, Advanced)] I added massively powerful but subtle wards to the entire place: theft and violence toward sentient beings of any kind were both prohibited outside of designated areas unless you were keyed into the wards and given permission. Permission could only be granted by me, Ember, Ukyo, Konatsu, or a three-quarter majority of the Whirlpool council. Since I'd created the dimension itself claiming it as a Builder wasn't necessary and I could do what I wanted, but changing the inherent claim to include my companions and the council was complicated.

There were more rules written into the wards and oaths required to take public office, but they were complicated enough that describing them in total would be unproductive. Training areas would still allow violence to a certain level, people could still defend themselves and others from attack, and the law enforcement and soldiers of the village still had a bit more leeway.

Initial construction of prototypes and defenses was handled by Ember, Konatsu, and Ukyo since they could build quickly and make changes or tear down failed projects very quickly. Extra room for growing food and other necessary products was produced by establishing underground gardens like the ones I'd added to my warehouse, but these were both larger and better equipped for automation.

Resource storage was mostly going to be handled using a series of extremely complex storage-scroll derivatives and illusion techniques that ended up acting a lot like my own inventory system. I'd assigned the project to both my clones and the seal masters, and they'd come through. By allowing the storage capacity to grow over time and adding both sorting and search mechanisms they made the new system more efficient than what I was doing in my warehouse, so I made sure to grab plans for it.

My empty copy-warehouse had been converted into a fully-operational themed lab space staffed with research and development minions. They were tasked with developing new minion type templates and figuring out how to upgrade themselves such that future research was done faster. My team had all advanced to roughly journeyman Builder status, but I was an odd mish-mash of journeyman and master. Between the extra power and experience with conjuration and transmutation I had before the Jump, accelerated learning, and the extra stuff I'd bought from the Builder Jump Document it was just easier for me.

With my mind on the tailed beasts and how it might be difficult to work around the immense amount of energy they generated I came up with a few changes to my wristwatch, deepening the well of power it could store and rigging it such that excess power added would be used to produce even more storage capacity. It'd gotten some odd looks since I arrived in the Elemental Nations, so I added a someone else's problem field to it too. Further work and some research into the necromancy texts I'd picked up in The Gamer universe allowed me to develop a specialized exorcism spell that should in theory banish the souls of the tailed beasts to the afterlife rather than allowing them to stay around and regenerate.

After that I came to the end of what I'd planned. I could account for the invading armies, protect the citizens of Whirlpool, had a theoretical counter and a backup plan for the tailed beasts, and had a plan for what to do after I'd completed the initial Enduring Whirlpool scenario before I left. There hadn't been a lot of family bonding lately, so I decided to spend some time with the team. We ended up spending several weeks in Bastion building, theming, and goofing around. The entire place had a very natural feeling, since every available surface that wasn't being used for anything else had plantlife and other environmental features added to it.

Someone had started introducing the local non-pest wildlife to the environment in addition to the underwater biomes we'd established earlier, and I had to say the entire place was shaping up to be a literal paradise. I hoped we'd be remembered here, and asked Washu for help combining and converting my warehouses to mirror the environment here with my own personal touches. Her response was to ask for a tour. By the end of it she actually had tears in her eyes, and eagerly agreed to help us create another such world for ourselves that would accompany us on our travels just like the warehouses.

She actually stopped time and pulled us out of the Jump temporarily to fulfil this promise, and while it took decades my warehouse was eventually replaced entirely with an ever-growing spherical dimension like the one we'd built for the islands: Elysium. The gardens turned into an infinite series of natural-looking environments that could be entered from certain doors or via portal, each staffed with its own self-regulating minion factory to tend to the flora and fauna within. As the sphere grew some of them would come to exist both within the sphere and in their own space. The apartments were tucked away into their own dimension too, and could be accessed similarly. The few structures left actually in the main portion of Elysium were devoted to enhancing the experience and accessibility of the natural wonders available, with configurable portals scattered around to access additional areas like the homes, gardens, libraries, and training area. We weren't happy to return to the mission after creating such a masterpiece, but it was necessary.


	34. Chapter 34

With all the immediately-executable preparations complete, I sat back to governing the village. I used only [Multi-Focus] clones when I could help it, and no time dilation. The clones mostly worked on my mastery of seals and other skills. The people of Whirlpool were slightly irked when I ordered increased emergency drills and a few complained about the discrete sirens I placed around the village. Seeing the seal-masters, ninja, and various construction crews out and about working hard to secure the village scared them a bit, too. I could have claimed it was an infrastructure overhaul, but the fact I'd called back all available ninja rather than sending them on missions to earn money for the village would have made it an obvious lie. The Whirlpool council's reassurances and the steady stream of spies brought in for interrogation weren't helping the problem of mixed messages.

Leaf's leadership had taken a cue from us and started preparing for another war. Skirmishes started up along several national borders as Cloud, Sand, and Stone either followed suit or stopped pretending they hadn't already been building their militaries. The smaller countries were stockpiling food and supplies, so everything got more expensive and traders became both more important and higher priority targets. The sudden surge of food available to those who traded with Whirlpool was remarked on and undoubtedly produced a ton of conspiracy theories, but the truth was that I was selling the excess food produced in Bastion and Elysium and not consumed by the populace since the storage systems were already nearly overflowing with products of all types in stasis. My minion golems did good work, but would be phased out of use in Bastion when the local farmers and such got there.

I didn't know a whole lot about the war started in the original timeline, but I'd gotten the impression that a lot of countries hadn't been nearly as prepared for open conflict as they were now. The food flowing from my nation was keeping things from escalating as quickly as they could have since everyone was eager to fill their stores, but Whirlpool was also becoming a bigger target for its food production. Sand was benefiting the most, since they were allies to both Whirlpool and Leaf. I'd given them several compact jars that produced infinite water to store underground and keep their reserves topped off on the condition they keep them absolutely secret, and was selling them food at a discount. With their population and activity no longer limited by the upper limits of the natural springs and oases in the area, their loyalty to the alliance was redoubled and their people happier than ever despite the threat of war.

The Land of Iron, home of the samurai, had been recruiting steadily and building new border fortresses since word of imminent escalation got out. The smaller villages like Waterfall, Grass, Rain, Valley, Hot Springs, and Frost were all doing their best to consolidate their positions for when troops inevitably fought on their land in skirmishes between the larger powers. The anticipation built over the months to the point where even the most laid-back people were on edge and a bit snappish with foreigners. The whole time, we built.

I refused to explain to the seal-masters and builders who had access to the sub-dimension why the entrance was now guarded by an incredibly advanced (and enchanted indestructible) security checkpoint with retractable weaponry the likes of which they'd never seen and I wouldn't let them examine. I hadn't had to explain the wards yet either, which was nice. The indestructible prison with receiving cells for those who were picked up by the wards annoyed them a bit though, since they had to re-work some of the city plans again to go around it.

The days leading up to the attack actually started triggering my innate precognitive abilities. It was going to be bad. There was something I hadn't accounted for, and it was going to be very bad. I started evacuating parts of the inner city and the outer islands through the portal early, but it did little to ease the sense of imminent doom. Government departments were now being run via proxy by clones from within Bastion. Was that a giant slug with a bunch of tails? And a horrible turtle monster? Ah. That's what I'd forgotten. They could and would attempt to unleash such things in the middle of the village, rather than approach from afar. I'd never really been much of a politician or military leader before this. Sounding the alarm to begin evacuating the rest of the citizens, ordering the planned defenses brought online, and sending a telepathic message to one of my clones in Leaf took only a few minutes. After that I started approaching the tailed beasts on foot to assess the situation and eliminate any attackers I found on the way. Ember, Konatsu, and Ukyo followed behind as my guard while the rest of the administration building personnel coordinated the evacuation itself.

-

As the barriers rose around the village and I rushed toward the rampaging demons, civilians streamed past me toward the temporary portals into Bastion as directed by those in the know. The portals would self destruct in about four hours unless I triggered that feature early with one of the temporary seals on my arm. I had no idea if my plans had changed things enough to actually win the battle the normal way, but a slow fighting retreat into the center of the city where the last portal would allow my people to escape before I blew our enemies to hell? That I could make sure of. I brought myself to full battle-readiness in the first few seconds after the attack started, and made sure to have [Active Precognitive Defense] as high as it could go.

The tailed beasts, I reflected as I approached, were things of beauty. While they were ugly as sin on the outside, on the inside they were constructs of chakra, divine energy, and soul energy that only imitated the physical while still allowing them to be as alive and aware as anyone else. Just looking at them gave me enough data to improve my chakra chains, [Mystical Energy (Body)], [Mystical Energy (Generator)], and more. These were actually the creatures I'd based [Mystical Energy (Generator)] on, so observing them confirmed several of my theories. Sadly, if I was to derail whole plan to resurrect a pissed-off rabbit goddess they were going to have to go. I could and would seal them away if I failed, but being able to see their internal structures gave me hope that I could actually kill them permanently.

The tails themselves generated energy in ways that made conservation of energy weep, but the bodies and souls did the same to a lesser extent. They weren't completely natural, and I could see where faults in the structure of each body were sort of patched over with divine energy to keep things running smoothly. That would be my first target, then I'd attempt to tackle their regeneration. If I could get at the soul energy underneath I could force an exorcism through and eliminate some of the key components to revival of the over-arching villain of Naruto: Otsutsuki Kaguya. The more tailed beasts I killed the less likely she was to come back and the less powerful she'd be if she ever managed to do so. I absently batted an errant Mist ninja off the rooftop I landed on to begin the first stage of my plan, and he splattered against an adjacent high rise.

With precision I'd never had to use before, I reached out to the three-tailed turtle Isobu and tore at the divine energy holding its form together, draining it into the storage of my watch. A wail of agony and fury echoed across the village, and it ponderously turned toward me while gathering a tremendous amount of energy in front of its mouth. The six-tailed slug Saiken also turned, energy gathering at the tips of each tail. A quick assessment of the status of the evacuation with [Panoramic Survey] and [Mystical Energy (Sense)] showed that there was still a long way to go and a lot of my people fighting to hold back the enemy ninja that were now either leaving cover from where they'd infiltrated or attempting to enter the village proper.

With one thread of thought I prepared to bend space, with another I prepared [Universal Nullification], and with the rest available to me I concentrated on restraining the creatures before me with chakra chains. The specialized constructs and a ton of power allowed me to both limit their access to energy and physically stop them, then point their heads into the sky in case the techniques they were charging discharged. The slug beast was only momentarily inconvenienced: though it was forced to abandon the attack it also slid through the chains themselves as if it were liquid. I wasn't so lucky with the turtle. Even at a high angle facing away from the village his technique was further along and more destructive. Instead of dissipating relatively harmlessly like the other, the ball of energy in front of him violently detonated and would have flattened buildings for several blocks.

A [Universal Nullification] fired off by my precognitive thread reduced the power of the explosion significantly by completely eliminating the mana component of the blast and blunting the ki component, but it still killed a few people and left a crater. More of my concentration was taken up by dodging around and countering the slug-beast's attacks, so I gave it something to worry about by ripping away its divine energy too. It was much more difficult than it had been with Isobu, but actually reduced the body of the creature to an uncoordinated but massive puddle of corrosive energy. With Saiken vulnerable and Isobu restrained I struck with an extremely powerful exorcism at the more powerful tailed beast.

I could see the soul of the thing flicker, and the energy that made up its body began to completely destabilize. In my mind's eye I watched as it exploded outward and my own vision went dark, warning me of what would happen if I left it there uncontrolled. With my reserves greatly reduced I consumed the divine energy stored in my watch and threw all of my remaining [Multi-Focus] threads into draining the energy left over from the now-dying tailed beast into both myself and the watch. I hadn't expected the pain that would come with absorbing seven active and now undirected [Mystical Energy (Generator)]s, nor had I expected the total energy of the beast to be several hundred times my own maximum capacity.

In only took a second for my physical form gave way to [Mystical Energy (Body)], and I finally had a place to put the still-active generators. I took the form of a kitsune built mainly from chakra and [Holy] energy, then shoved the damn things into my own body and tails. The change disrupted my concentration on both my chakra chains and my active defenses, but also stopped the ongoing battle cold. Nobody had seen the Kyuubi in many years, but they knew the creature I'd become wasn't him. Between only having six tails at the moment and being a bright pearlescent silver instead of an angry red-orange the differences were pretty obvious. Isobu stared at me in horror, my new link to the rest of the tailed beasts telling me he knew exactly what I'd done.

When I did the same to him he didn't even have time to react, his soul was banished to the afterlife and his energy consumed before he could recover from the shock. Notifications popped up all around me and were unconsciously shifted out of my line of sight as I set eyes on the attacking forces. There were still far too many of my people on the field for the final gambit, so I'd have to buy time. Re-instating my active threads took a fraction of a second, and allocating threads to control each tail independently took even less. With the divine energy of my own soul, that I'd taken from the beasts before exorcising them, and my own knowledge false flesh surrounded me. I had no idea what I was going to do after this, but for now I was a massive energy construct and I was going to take advantage.

For those on the battlefield below, it must have been a hell of a shock. First some asshole had **eaten** two of the legendary tailed beasts, then said asshole had **become** a tailed beast, looked around, and vanished only to reappear standing on the water where the main force of the attacking ninja were trying to gain entry to the city. For those without sealing expertise, the Senju bloodline, the Uchiha bloodline, or the Uzumaki bloodline tailed beasts were unstoppable forces of nature. The Mist and Cloud ninja had been counting on their jinchuuriki [1] to destroy most of the village before they were restrained, or at the very least provide a lasting distraction while those few capable of wielding the weapons the tailed beasts were weak against were forced divide their attention.

When my feet/paws touched down on the water outside Whirlpool after my first teleportation in energy form, I immediately started pouring heat and lightning into the water below me to kill the invaders who hadn't yet surfaced. The delicate ecosystem would be destroyed as well, but at this point there wasn't much I could do. It would recover in time and I might be able to help it along a bit, but the people were my top priority. The sea boiling under my feet, I started swiping at those that had managed to make it to the surface and hadn't yet succumbed to the heat radiating from below. My tails did much the same, but also took time to telekinetically assist my own troops and scoop up loot, bodies, and anything else that might be useful in the future.

What had in the canonical timeline been a prolonged but ultimately futile defense was turning into more of an ambush. Those attackers that could attempted to flee while I attempted to keep them close enough to be within the blast radius of our last defense. Many of them tried to fight me, and those that weren't especially powerful were completely ignored. A group of senior ninja that had been commanding the attack attempted to seal me away like they'd done the beasts I'd consumed, but [Active Precognitive Defense] cast [Freedom of Movement] and [Universal Nullification] in my defense. Their failure attracted my attention, and they received a blast of superheated plasma in response, leaving the area filled with scalding steam and electricity.

When the last of my people left alive finally made it through the portals to Bastion and the portals themselves closed, I took a moment to gather my wits about me. The outer barriers had fallen and those enemy ninja that hadn't fled or been killed were busily destroying the city and looking for survivors. Many of them were probably looting, too. Konatsu's and Ember's health bars were still in good condition, but Ukyo was badly injured according to my heads up display. Her health was wavering up and down at about ten percent, but she was within Bastion proper. I growled loudly enough to be heard across the battlefield and raised my own barriers around the islands in case the coming blast was less controlled than anticipated.

With a little bit of mental effort I pulled hard on my connection to my physical body, resulting in me popping back into human form and a near-overwhelming pressure popping up in its place where my alternate forms were normally stored. I looked sadly at the land below me, teleported immediately outside the barrier, closed my eyes, and activated the last seal on my arm. It dissolved into nothingness over the course of about five seconds, then the world flashed white and enough energy to vaporize a good portion of the elemental nations was funneled from beneath the islands up into the sky where it stopped just short of the upper atmosphere.

There was no shockwave, no sound, and no heat. The measures the seal masters and myself had taken to ensure the blast was contained combined with the last-minute barriers I'd erected made sure of that. Everyone who'd had an unobstructed view of the scene for tens of kilometers around was instantly blinded, and I felt the pain of my retinas disintegrating even as Gamer's Body limited the actual damage to hit point loss. My skin and much of the muscle underneath would have been gone without that and my near-immunity to harmful radiation. As it was I suffered the [Blindness] status effect, and had to teleport into Bastion without my sight since it was taking a long time to dispel.

When the army of Leaf ninja arrived to back us up, all they found was a mostly-filled depression in the near-boiling ocean floor and the most intense fog any of them had ever seen. Whirlpool was gone, as were the armies that had attacked it and the islands on which it sat. The world plunged into war, with Mist and Cloud having suffered losses even heavier than those in the original timeline. Leaf and Sand crushed their remaining forces, and Stone stayed well out of the conflict after seeing the alliance they'd hoped to join disintegrate.

[Title: Light Bringer leveled up!]  
[Title: Morning Star leveled up!]  
[Quest complete: Bastion!]  
[Quest complete: Hippie Agenda!]  
[You've obtained the title: Devourer!]  
[By earning a title that spawned a legend, you've earned an extra title slot!]

**Devourer (Title, Equipped)**  
_Wren consumed the essence (but not the souls) of the legendary three and six-tailed beasts (Naruto) when Whirlpool was invaded at the start of the second world war. He gained a six-tailed alt form of his own and began to incorporate aspects of the Naruto world's proto-divinity into himself. This title allows him to more easily perform energy draining attacks and integrate foreign mass and energy into himself._


	35. Chapter 35

So it turns out people around here had never seen anyone eat a legendary immortal chakra monster before. When I arrived back in Whirlpool I was immediately whisked off to the healers before I could even ask what was going on. They kept telling me I had paperwork to do, but I knew a diagnostic technique when I saw it! Well...saw it with [Mystical Energy (Sense)], anyway. I still couldn't see with my eyes, though the blindness condition was lessening with every healing and dispelling technique I used on it. When my sight returned I was sitting in a comfortable chair in a hospital room with Ukyo laid out on a bed in the middle. Someone had gutted my daughter, and only the continuous work of the healers, Ember, and Konatsu was keeping her alive. That would not do.

I gathered [Holy] in my hand, using half of my maximum mana, and laid a blinding white light on her wound. It was gone before my hand made contact, her stomach whole and unmarked. I could sense the shockwave of excess [Holy] energy rolling over the entire demi-plane, bouncing off the borders and coming back in a slowly-fading cycle. How long had it been since I did the math on how much I scaled things up with all of my casting efficiency bonuses? I thought back to my character sheet and started to get the feeling I'd used a little too much. My fingerless gloves had started out reducing casting costs by half and doubling additional mana spent to upscale an effect, but after continuous upgrades were now making the initial costs of spells free and reducing the scaling cost by 99.99%. My Lightbringer title did the same for [Holy] magic, and so did Morning Star. [Mystical Energy (Mastery)] did the same thing again, and so did the perks I'd gained for having a ridiculously high intelligence score.

I'd just spent over 5000 mana on a healing spell and its effect had been multiplied out to… oh, that was a lot of zeroes. I'm pretty sure I could have healed everyone on the planet from the brink of death several times with that one spell. Ukyo's skin was glowing a little, and her soul suddenly looked a lot like a cross between mine and Sung-Ah's with all the [Holy] energy running through it. The effect was the same for everyone else in the room, and a brief scan with [Panoramic Survey] showed the same everywhere else in Bastion, too. Washu's laughter, which had started when I cast the initial spell, escalated to hysterical giggles.

'_What exactly did I just do?_' I sent to my benefactor as I started using [Observe/Divine] and my Builder scan ability on everyone in sight. Washu's continued laughter and the gape-jawed stares of those around me continued as information poured in. Every single person I saw now had a permanent blessing attached to them allowing for extra damage to demons and undead, extreme regenerative abilities, immunity to disease, mind control, necromancy, and poison, and was marked as guaranteed entrance to Elysium as a form of afterlife unless I revoked it or they chose to go elsewhere. They all had a link back to me and with only a prayer to call on it could use [Holy] channelled from either me or one of my places of power.

'_Heeheehee… oh my… heehee_,' Washu's voice echoed. '_I'm sure you can figure out what you've done by yourself, but I'll give you some highlights: nobody can ever enter Bastion again that you wouldn't grant entrance to yourself, no matter where you are or how little attention you're paying them. It's a part of you now, and will be accessible even after you leave the Jump. Nobody inside is going to age past where they want to, either. There's a lot more, but if you want to know you'll have to take the time to look_.'

Even as I watched, the elderly were all getting younger and everyone was getting prettier. The non-sentient life around was changing, too. All the plants and animals I could see were getting healthier and changing in ways that promoted healing and slowed or stopped aging for the things around them. Even the bugs were useful in healing potions and similar items now. It didn't matter. My daughter was safe, my family was safe, and those under my protection would not be harmed. Ukyo blinked up at me, then smiled widely before grabbing me in a hug. Ember and Konatsu joined her, and that was fine. It was less fine when everyone in the room started in on the group hug. I was getting uncomfortable.

"Dad," my little girl said. "Thanks. And I love you, too."

What? I hadn't said anything. Not even with telepathy. Of course I loved my family, but why would she say it like that? Ukyo, Ember, and Konatsu all hugged me a little harder as that went through my head. Oh, hell. Everyone in the room was getting teary-eyed now. Somehow even my idle nice thoughts were broadcasting good mojo through the entirety of Bastion. I clamped down hard with Gamer's Mind to limit any extra emotional output, and Ukyo pulled away but gave me a knowing smile. Konatsu and Ember exchanged a look with her and did the same. At least the healers weren't trying to hug us anymore. They'd gone elsewhere. Wait...Bastion was a part of me now? That meant that my entire aura was...fuck. I needed a new way to apply [Mystical Energy (Concealment)], now.

-

I had to get away from that madness. Learning the incredible secrets and lost techniques of the greatest masters of the Uzumaki clan, who were renowned for their knowledge and use of sealing, was amazing... but everyone just kept **looking** at me! I was not a social person, and it was driving me insane! It felt like ants were crawling on my skin wherever I went, and the little murmurs I'd heard in the back of my head since Sung-Ah asked to be part of my religion in the Gamer universe were now full-on prayers that I could hear if I actively listened. My divine power pulsed and grew within me every second of every day, sometimes even pulsing out in response to the prayers regardless of whether or not I listened to them. People were painting and sculpting copies of my family crest everywhere! Konatsu was now determined to become my first angel, and everyone treated Ember and Ukyo as either high priestesses or goddesses. I fled Bastion, leaving only a single [Multi-Focus] thread behind to take the fall (and learn stuff, like seals and how to keep my emotions from leaking everywhere). That poor bastard.

With Washu's teasing laughter echoing through my mind, I decided to go with something that looked a little like my original plan. If you squinted and tilted your head when you looked at it. Getting rid of the tailed beasts and the evil statue thing would keep the insane omnicidal goddess-thing from coming back, and after that I just needed to keep a few power players from screwing things up. My first stop was initially going to be Konoha, but the tattered link I now shared with the tailed beasts indicated one of them was out and about. I snapped off an invisibility spell and started line-of-sight teleporting north in haste, hoping to catch it before it was sealed again.

What I found was a huge tentacled thing that looked straight at me in horror. There were lots of people around it with chains and stuff and a guy with a big pot off to one side, but none of them seemed to be able to see me through the invisibility. I shrugged, and the guy with the jar started doing hand-seals. That was how they cast spells in this universe, and the pot had seals on it. That could have been really inconvenient or really helpful, so I crushed the pot with telekinesis just in case before turning my attention back to the beasty. It was a little more stable than the slug, with the divine energy more evenly distributed and in a more intricate pattern. That didn't make the hastily-applied divine patchwork any more difficult to rip away. The Devourer title undoubtedly helped with that.

The horrible tentacled thing's pseudo-body started to bubble and hiss as it destabilized, and I dropped down in front of the guy who'd been trying to seal away the creature that really needed to be permanently sent on. With a thought and about ten percent of my mana I exorcised its soul into the afterlife, then **pulled**. The big guy behind me hadn't noticed my arrival, but he couldn't possibly miss all that energy spiralling in toward him as the tailed beast bubbled away. He fell over backwards and crab-walked away. I suppose from his perspective it looking like the sealing had gone horribly wrong somehow and the energy was going into the empty space where the pot had been, which would undoubtedly be a head-scratcher for years.

I got a message notifying me my tailed beast alternate form had been upgraded. Lovely. The link I'd acquired with the others was a little stronger now, but still not enough to really help in tracking them down while they were sealed. I suspected I'd need their souls for that, and I wasn't going to start eating those if I could help it. Another teleport and a flight spell coupled with the weightlessness I'd picked up but failed to fully understand in Pokémon had me in the air and tracing the peninsula back toward Fire Country, then south toward Wind Country and the Sand village. I remembered that the least powerful tailed beast was sealed in a tea kettle at some point. If I could get to it while it was still sealed I could get rid of it without killing a host.

[Panoramic Survey], a little divination, another invisibility spell, and some telekinesis brought me a remarkably large and equally angry teakettle. I exorcised the soul from the thing while it was still sealed, then ate the rest and put the kettle back before dispelling the invisibility on it. It was kind of bizarre getting experience for eating things but not getting any loot. Even ghosts dropped loot, but not super demon things. Perhaps Washu had something special in mind for all of this?

'_I did, actually. I'd planned to send you on a quick run through an already messed up timeline to collect the tailed beasts and the demon statue that used to be the body of the ten-tails as an extra scenario after this Jump. Since you're already doing that I might as well give you the details now_,' My benefactor's voice echoed in my head. '_Once you've consumed all the tailed beasts and the statue you have a choice to make: consume all the chakra in the world and gain a massive god-tree alternate form that sucks the life out of the planet it grows on to fuel your own powers, or consume only the divine aspect of the chakra and become a similar god-tree that instead nourishes the planet and everything on it. Your power will still grow in this form, but it'll be only a tiny fraction of what it'd be otherwise._'

[Quest alert: Aspect of Tsunami!]

'_Alright_,' I sent back. '_Did you really expect me to take the Jenova/Lavos route?_' I asked, referencing two other planet-parasites from games I'd played. Her reply was deadly serious.

'_You? No. But lots of your alternates have snapped and gone far beyond conventional evil for one reason or another. Even picking you up from the same starting point and controlling for a lot of factors I've had to re-set or completely collapse quite a few timelines. The souls of your alternates that forced my hand like that will be what you absorb as a dragonborn in any setting where dragons would normally die for good when killed. Consider it both prudence and judgement. Death has agreed to these terms._'

I froze in mid-air, pale and shocked. I'd played some evil characters before, and I knew just how creative I could be if I really wanted something or someone to suffer. My imagination was a truly terrifying place if I allowed my thoughts to follow those paths. Healing magic used to enhance and prolong torture was nothing to the things my fictional characters could do if allowed to run around unchecked. To think that I'd be absorbing the souls of versions of me that had actually committed such crimes made me physically ill, despite Washu's continued reassurances that I wouldn't be gaining their karma or history.

I actually had to sit and meditate, invisible and high above the world, for almost an hour before I had my emotions under real control again. Gamer's Mind could have done the job, but I didn't want to rely on it to repress everything. Working through and coming to terms with what was happening seemed healthier in the long run. The occasional thread being pulled for use in Bastion then released helped, since my other selves could talk to the family and they could sort of help me through it. I still didn't like the idea, though. I'd only thought of absorbing souls as the dragonborn in the abstract as a way to get rid of Alduin. I'd been deliberately avoiding judgement and anything that resembled destruction of souls by letting Death do all the work. Unfortunately now that I had my own afterlife set up it was going to fall to me to make some judgement calls. Eventually. Hopefully not for a long while.

-

The Leaf village in the Land of Fire was my next stop. I didn't know whether or not they'd sent reinforcements to Whirlpool like they had in the stories I read, but I had business with the Senju and Uzumaki that remained there nonetheless. As I flew over the village itself I noted the pair of faces carved into a mountain on one side, the monstrous trees, and a general feeling of despair. Touching down unseen at the edge of the forest and dispelling my invisibility, I approached the gates with paperwork in hand. My appearance would match what they had on file for me since we'd had visitors from Leaf to Whirlpool in the year after my initial preparations to verify the change.

Entering the village took very little time but drew a lot of attention. It wasn't every day the leader of an allied village showed up alone after notifying them of an overwhelming invasion force, and they'd seen the flash of light on the horizon even here. I was escorted by masked special forces ninja to see the village leader, Senju Tobirama. He was understandably surprised to see me, given that he'd dispatched forces to aid in repelling the invasion of Whirlpool less than a day ago.

Between the slew of assassinations, my instatement as Whirlpool's leader and the Uzumaki clan head, and the preparations necessary to repel what I knew was coming I'd never actually met the man until now. The letters we'd exchanged provided some evidence that I was who I appeared to be, but I was also forced to demonstrate both the chakra chains of my clan and my mastery of the [Mokuton/Plant Manipulation] technique unique to my Senju heritage to prove my identity beyond doubt. As far as Leaf knew I was the only person in the world that could do both.

An exhaustive exchange of information on how both villages were doing lead to quite a few surprises for both of us. Tobirama was shocked and impressed that we'd managed to escape certain death, and not-so-jokingly asked if he could retire to Whirlpool after his successor was properly instated. I assured him that as long as he followed the rules he'd be as welcome as any other member of our extended family, he just had to keep the continued existence of the village a secret, and would likely find it difficult to accidentally divulge either way. We were out of the game, as it were, and intended to stay that way. When I asked about our other relatives in Leaf the feeling of despair I'd felt earlier was explained.

Everyone seemed to be in mourning over the expected loss of our village, and our family was taking it the hardest. Uzumaki Mito (who was herself a local celebrity) was fading fast, and with her death the nine-tailed beast would need to be transferred to Uzumaki Kushina in order to keep it contained. On hearing this I insisted on being able to see them immediately. Tobirama was a little hesitant after the revelation that Whirlpool wouldn't be coming back any time soon, probably unsure of how that would affect our alliance, but he allowed it since we were family and I'd been honest with him so far.

It was nearly too late when I arrived. The seals to transfer the beast had already been prepared and both Uzumaki were resigned to their fates. Mito had maybe half an hour to live, and the transfer had to be performed before she died. It would also kill her. Being the helpful person that I am, I decided all of that was completely unnecessary and started things off with a cheerful greeting.

"Cousins! How wonderful to see you!" They looked at me in shock, having expected to be the last of their clan about now. I continued regardless. "It looks like I got here in just in time for your retirement, honored Mito! Would you care to retire to a more comfortable setting?" I asked, not letting anyone get a word in edgewise.

The masked ninja that had been following me since I entered the village and the ones protecting Tobirama surged into the room at my unexpected behavior, but they were too late. All the ridiculous speed-augmenting skills I'd picked up had already activated as soon as I started talking, and I teleported the leader of Leaf and the last two Uzumaki there into Bastion in a flicker of light. I even took the medical bed, sealing supplies, and inked patterns on the walls.

When we arrived it was to a custom-conjured room I snapped into place around us to hold the ink, bed, and other stuff. The wards froze Tobirama before he could place a knife at my neck, and I calmly leaned him against a wall with a chakra chain while I spoke to Mito and Kushina, the former looking at her hands in awe and the latter looking at me and the surroundings in shock.

"Now, isn't that better?" I said with a stupid grin on my face as Uzumaki Mito's extra years melted away under the influence of the [Holy] energy infusing Bastion and my will guiding existence within its borders. A thought stopped Tobirama's heart attack in its tracks and he lost a few extra years in the background to help him deal with the stress. He'd still look mostly the same on the outside, though perhaps refreshed as if he'd gotten an excellent night of sleep or some wonderful news. He was old as hell and I could direct the changes taking place to hide his newfound youth to some extent, so hopefully it wouldn't be a problem.

Mito sputtered incoherently, and Kushina raced over to her with wide eyes as she watched her mentor shed years until she looking like she was in her mid-twenties again. I conjured a glass of water and handed it to her casually, and she stared at it incredulously before setting getting out of bed. She looked good in a hospital gown, I had to admit. The water flung in my face was not entirely unexpected, nor was the lightning-fast movement smashing the glass against the wall and directing the pointy bits toward me. When the wards froze Mito and she fell back into the bed, I turned calmly to Kushina.

"Sorry, dear. This will probably take a while and there'll be a lot of arguing. If you'd like to go play or train I can summon someone to accompany you, but we'll need you back when we're done." Her eye twitched, and she slumped back into the chair muttering about how adults were insane and what the hell was going on, anyway? Aah, youth. Much more flexible than those of us with deeply-ingrained habits. I turned back to Mito and Tobirama, then held them in front of me with chakra chains. They could still see and hear, and their eyes were locked on mine now that I'd turned back around and started speaking.

"So, this is how it's going to go: I'm going to release both of you and offer both refreshments and explanations. If either of you do anything that could hurt another sentient being you'll be automatically frozen in place. Were you not in my presence you would also be dumped nude in a jail cell that's immune to and suppresses chakra. I do not wish to harm you and will not detain you any longer than an hour, though you are free to stay or go back to where you came from when we're finished speaking. As the head of the Uzumaki clan and the last leader of Whirlpool I implore you to listen to what I have to say carefully." Kushina jerked behind me, looking upset at the mention I was the last leader Whirlpool would have. When I waved a hand and made one of the walls transparent from this side she looked out on the isles of Whirlpool encased in a crystalline sphere and floating in an endless sky with a gasp.

I took a step back and commanded the wards to release the two before me, then watched as they rushed over to the wall to get a good look themselves. Keeping in mind that this could take a while, I separated the flow of time in Bastion from the flow in the Elemental Nations so we would be back within a few minutes of when we left regardless of how long the following conversations took. It was good that I did, because there were a great deal of very firm words directed at me, most of them about how it was **not alright** to kidnap people. No it didn't matter that I had somehow saved one or more of their lives in the process, I could still have been polite.

Further conversation covered the pertinent details of how Whirlpool was now Bastion, its people were not in fact gone, and I would be resigning as leader within a year or two to become a merchant and envoy to Leaf if they'd allow it. I'd only acted so rashly in order to save the life of a member of my family, and would anyone like a tour? I didn't mention that I'd have to deal with the staring and adoration some day, and I thought I might shake the awkward around a little. I really needed to get over the whole massively-introverted thing, but it was such a deeply-ingrained part of my personality it would probably take decades even if I worked at it (which was unlikely, and would involve much procrastination).

Kushina finally barged into the conversation at that point asking about her parents, and the other two grudgingly agreed to the tour and a family reunion while they were here. Since the village itself was very different than they remembered the tour was necessary, and I actually had to ask someone where Kushina's parents had gotten to. Half an hour or so later I left my guests with her family to make take scan and dispose of the conjured room I'd left in the middle of nowhere.

When I got back I the Leaf trio treated me like I was insane but ultimately benevolent. Kushina's not nearly as subtle as she thought comment that I didn't **look** nuts earned her a wide grin from me. I was just glad they weren't bowing and worshipping. Inviting the entire family to witnessing me replacing the nine-tails with something much less volatile probably didn't help minimize my image of insanity or divinity. Both Mito and Kushina left with massive [Mystical Energy (Generator)]s in their now-lifeless seals and I got a shiny ninth tail for my tailed-beast alternate form.

When they left Tobirama was still muttering about how I was a crazy fucker and he was really glad I didn't intend to stay leader long, as he still wanted to retire on the gorgeous beaches of Bastion where everyone was young and pretty and there was no war. That was pretty attractive compared to the rest of the local real estate, I reflected. Mito opted to retire in lieu of her expected death and spend time with the family, since she wouldn't really look the part now even if she went back to Leaf.


	36. Chapter 36

The return of Uzumaki Kushina and Senju Tobirama to Leaf was dramatic, I'm sure. That's exactly why I didn't go with them. I did send them home with amulets for themselves and whoever else they cared about. If the wearers were on the verge of death, spoke the proper word, or simply concentrated on escaping hard enough they would be whisked away to the under-utilized hospital in Bastion, which was now staffed almost entirely with soulless minions since conditions requiring complex treatment were rare amongst people with regeneration and immunity to disease and poison.

In case of an overflow of patients the minions had access to potions, poultices, salves, stasis beds, and other healing equipment I'd come up with in my spare to keep people stable until more talented healers could be called in. Everything was based on seals, chakra, or the plants and other resources that now grew naturally in the demi-plane itself so the citizens wouldn't come to rely on me for such things.

The wards would still freeze anyone who intended to harm another sentient being inside, but would also put those badly injured enough to be in danger into full stasis to prevent them from dying. I'd start working on a pair of portal devices soon, which could be activated by Konoha to reach us as their allies for healing, trade, or social interaction. Those in Whirlpool who wanted to fight would be able to leave for Leaf, but couldn't come back until they were done except for healing.

I was pretty sure the original plot was well and truly destroyed by that point, but just to be sure I took the time to flood the Elemental Nations with even more clones then scryed for and consumed the rest of the tailed beasts as I found them. The statue was last, and involved a lot of sneaking since it was guarded by a supremely old Uchiha Madara in a cave. Who knew what tricks he had up his sleeve. Why was he sitting in the dark, all silent and alone anyway? That wasn't what I looked like when I was trying to avoid attention, was it? Also, what was with the plant people? There was actually a cozy place to live a few tunnels down with a nice garden and some artificial light, so hopefully he didn't just sit there all the time.

'_Hey, you're not done yet_,' Washu prompted me after I finished ripping the energy from the statue and deconstructing the pieces.

'_Really? This looks pretty done, to me_,' I replied. The following explanation about how the plant people were made by the insane goddess thing I was trying to prevent from returning, the black one was evil and needed to die, and the white ones were innocent victims but should probably also be put out of their misery actually prompted me to ask Washu if she was racist. Or plantist. Something. A ridiculous amount of laughter from my benefactor later she replied that no, she wasn't racist, and I could blame someone called Kishimoto if it sounded that way. I recalled he'd been the author of the story in my home universe, but unless he was also a creator deity I didn't think that it was entirely fair to put the blame on him.

Deciding to take care of the old guy to keep him from stirring up trouble later, I incinerated him in his sleep, then did the same to all the plant people I could find including a black one. I left the cave in a bad mood, but at least I'd completed a quest and gotten some nice fruit. The old guy's garden had tomatoes in it, and I'd taken them just in case he managed to come back like the one I'd faced in the Gamer universe. It would serve the prick right for being so much trouble and cooperating with dubiously racist plotlines.

[Quest complete: Enduring Peace!]

The emergency teleportation devices turned out to be a big hit, and when I finally started up my shop/local retirement plan I'd be selling a lot of them. I set up a new demi-plane just big enough for a large-ish supermarket and built a nice market stall into the side of it. Some consultation with Tobirama and his soon-to-be successor Sarutobi Hiruzen got me a place on the wall of a secret facility in Leaf to open up shop. I could open up the windows and front door to make the building look like it was a store while their special forces used other entrances that actually went inside the structure instead of through a portal. Ukyo and Konatsu opted to run a restaurant up front while faux-merchandise was displayed on the walls and real stuff was sold in the back. It was better than sports paraphernalia, anyway.

We received a few interesting patients from the first round of teleporters. Tobirama turned up looking like hell and had to be put in stasis for a few days, and another of my Senju cousins nearly lost her boyfriend before she figured out that she could bring someone with her. I didn't regret saving the guy, but letting other people tag along into Bastion or wherever the future devices went could be a liability so I made a note to restrict it. They already wouldn't activate for anyone but the first wearer and self-destructed if someone started trying to take them apart, but I didn't like the idea of anyone being forced to take someone with them unwillingly.

Tsunade, the Senju relative with the nearly-dead boyfriend, ordered a whole bunch of the emergency devices after that and started giving them to her friends, family, and teammates. That meant I had to come up with a proper name for them, since she was basically advertising for us. I ended up calling them Recall amulets, and wrote up a little usage manual to go with the revised versions I'd be releasing for production by the locals. They'd use seals exclusively and require a sizeable beacon of sorts to return to, but could eventually be adapted to be used with multiple beacons as long as they had the energy and the security protocols weren't violated. Bastion itself was protected from entry by undesirables thanks to the wards and my own subconscious judgement, but future beacon locations probably wouldn't have that.

There was a little (friendly) friction in the family when I showed off my new alternate form. Ember was exceptionally jealous of my ten-tailed majesty, and annoyed that it was more wolf-like than fox-like [1]. I shifted to look like our twin ninetail forms (plus one, hah!) and really really big, to which she replied with a growl and a playful swat. I pinned her under one paw and proceeded to lecture her about giving her big brother a hard time, but backed off when she started threatening to tell embarrassing stories about me. That started a running joke about how I didn't get any respect from the family, which got weird stares from the citizens of Bastion and made us all giggle hysterically at said stares.

-

My retirement as village leader came as no surprise to anyone. I'd been talking about it a lot and preparations had been put in place during the year I spent preparing for the invasion of Whirlpool. My moving into the shop with Ember, Konatsu, and Ukyo to work on bringing economic dominance to Bastion rather than the peace through superior firepower route that seemed popular was considered at best another oddity. Setting up a bunch of copies of the initial shop in the supermarket-sized sub-dimension run by clones and minions was easy and helped to stretch my muscles as a builder, as did warding the entire place against theft, violence, and a slew of other things. Having my clones surreptitiously acquire paperwork and properties in other villages would take more time, as they'd have to bluff and/or bribe their way through a bunch of different vetting processes.

Uzumaki Imports officially opened in Leaf just a few days later, with a nice restaurant up front and a very firm set of rules posted regarding acceptable behavior. We didn't sell anything directly useful for combat, at least nothing traditionally useful. Instead we went for survival and utility gear as a base with food and luxury goods to round things out and attract more civilian customers. Storage seals that didn't require blood or chakra to use but could still be secured if needed, medical supplies, a wide variety of food, high quality cooking and camping gear, small generators with attached batteries that either ran on ambient energy but could accept channelled energy for an extra boost, energy efficient appliances, and various other things passed through our doors daily.

We did our best to charge reasonable prices that allowed the locals to compete a bit, but our products were almost always higher quality and more available since they were backed by a village essentially free of the conflict plaguing the rest of the world. When our stores opened up in Sand and Rain we ended up having to boost production based on demand. Sand wanted additional food variety and luxury goods, while Rain needed a massive amount of food and consistently placed orders via the government for medical equipment and survival gear.

The leader of Rain, a man by the name of Hanzo, had been tough to convince to allow us a place and insisted on a daunting list of regulations, a substantial special tax, and ninja guards native to Rain. We still sold every scrap of food, survival gear, and medical equipment we stocked until I updated the stock to be supplied with Builder magic until the demand went down to reasonable levels. In order to keep things organized and provide both customer service and help to the community we ended up hiring some of the local orphaned children and less fortunate adults in Rain.

There were some problems with theft due to rampant poverty in the city, and after the third time someone was ejected into the street in nothing but their underthings due I ended up having to adjust the wards to treat thieves a little differently based on their motives. Those who tried because they were desperate usually found their clothes stayed on after that. They also enjoyed much softer landings and sometimes found helpful things in their pockets later, like basic food and other necessities with no memory of how they got there. A strong compulsion not to associate the findings with our store in any way helped keep them from returning endlessly.

It wasn't that we didn't want to help people in need, but people thrown out by the seals and wards tended to be looked on with suspicion by the locals if they came by again and it would be weird of us not to ban people who were repeatedly caught. If we thought it would do anything we would have started donating to social services in Rain, but between watching how the village leadership worked and looking around we'd already determined that what few support structures existed for those in need were more fronts for war fundraising than anything else. We had a bit more success helping the poor in Sand, but they also needed a lot less help after mysteriously acquiring infinite sources of water [2] that they passed off as newly-discovered underground springs.

The whole second ninja world war thing had been calming down pretty quickly until Stone kicked over the ant-hill by getting involved. I'd hoped it would end more quickly, but didn't place much faith in the ability of human beings to act rationally or selflessly in large groups. The whole child-soldier thing bothered me a lot too, but I knew from my own world's history that when adults were desperate enough to end each other children usually suffered too. Running the store itself was starting to feel a bit like war-profiteering even though we were doing our best to keep people alive and happy rather than fuelling the conflict to increase sales.

It was easier to focus on the family than the rest of the world. Ukyo and Konatsu had gotten together and Ember was seeing a nice but eccentric young man by the name of Jiraiya. I choked on my own spit when I found out who he was, but he did genuinely seem to be an alright guy. I cautioned Ember not to tell him too much without being sure of his loyalty since he acted as a spy in the series, and she scoffed at me before telling me she wasn't stupid. Apparently she was both well aware of Jiraiya's occupation and very happy with his lack of social inhibitions. He quietly confided in me one day that my sister had him on a short leash regarding other women but he was happier than he'd ever been.

My ability to multi-task kept growing with my level in [Multi-Focus] and my ability to absorb the information I gained from dispelling clones. I watched from multiple points of view as my family grew more concerned with their own matters both romantically and to shut out the conflict around them just as I was doing. Some discrete talks with Washu ensured that even if she decided to stay Ember would have access to Bastion and from there the rest of the family. She was really flourishing now that she was both used to being human and in a somewhat stable environment [3]. Our cousin Kushina had finally gotten together with the Namikaze boy when I felt the odd sensation of something tugging on one of my alternate forms. My tailed-beast form, in particular. That wasn't supposed to happen since I'd roasted old Madara (once), but I found a nice empty space to transform into a look-alike of the original nine-tails before allowing the summons to work out of curiosity.

In the barest fraction of a second I went from interested to furious. Minato was unconscious on the ground, pinned down with early prototypes of his teleport beacon knives in each hand. His and Kushina's Recall amulets were burning in black fire to one side, and Kushina herself had been repeatedly slashed across the stomach to break the seal there but was regenerating rapidly and attempting to stand. In the middle of it all stood a younger, very familiar version of the old man I'd roasted in the cave. Uchiha Madara was back looking just as young as when I'd faced him in the Gamer but much more powerful, with a bloody hand in contact with a summoning seal on the ground.

He looked at me with freaky blood-red eyes and black sclera and attempted to dominate my mind even as my [Active Precognitive Defense] fought its way through hundreds of scenarios against his own precognitive ability. Combat options raced through my mind as I looked down on possibly the most twisted, spiteful soul I'd ever seen, and I made a decision. This one was going to need to be personal if I wanted to be sure he was down for good. Madara's remaining eye just had time to widen as I took control of his body with a combination of [Elemental Bending], telekinesis, barriers, and nullification. His precognitive ability didn't help him because I'd shut down every source of supernatural ability he had, including the mana and divine energy mixed into his ki that turned into chakra.

His flesh and blood following my every command, his body locked against movement twice again with telekinesis and body-hugging barriers, and his powers gone, he could do nothing as I locked his soul in place and took said body apart piece by piece. For the sake of thoroughness I scanned him first to create a Builder blueprint, then deconstructed each piece of him after it was separated. An absent thought scanned and deconstructed the knives keeping Minato in place, healed both him and Kushina, and teleported them back to the Leaf leader's office.

The soul before me was undoubtedly human, and would need to be judged as such. Since I wasn't the creator of the local multiverse and had been doing my best to let the afterlife take shape on its own I called on a higher authority. Washu responded immediately, freezing time and stepping out from behind a rocky outcropping. Death arrived only a moment later. The world faded to white around us and the trapped soul, then thousands of distinct figures appeared around us. Each of the tailed beasts, with the nine-tailed fox at their head sat to one side of countless human and even a few animalistic souls. Death turned his skull-faced visage to me, his eyes blazing points of blue light.

YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO BRING THIS ONE DIRECTLY. HE HAS ALREADY CHEATED ME SEVERAL TIMES, AND WILL NOT ESCAPE AGAIN. MY BLESSING STANDS, AND WILL GROW IN POWER ONCE YOU COMPLETE YOUR MISSION TO DENY THE HUMANS DIVINITY. THAT WILL KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.

A set of scales appeared behind Madara's bound soul, and slowly but surely it tilted to one side as invisible weight was added to it. When the movement stopped Washu and Death conferred for a moment, then Death stepped forward and addressed the man.

YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED AND FOUND WANTING, BUT NOT IRREDEEMABLE. AS A CREATION UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE GODDESS WASHU, YOUR SOUL WILL BE WIPED CLEAN AND BORNE AGAIN INTO THE WORLD. LET THOSE YOU HARMED BEAR WITNESS TO YOUR FATE.

About a third of the crowd vanished, along with most of the tailed beasts. Death drew a sword from his hip, and sliced down into the cowering soul of Uchiha Madara. With an unearthly wail and a pulse of power everything but the barest essence of who he was flowed into the sword and was forever destroyed. What was left was a shimmering mote of light, pure and innocent. The tailed beasts both reverted to similar forms and faded away, as did many of the human watchers. Those who remained looked solemnly at each other and seemed to step in a direction that wasn't visible to me, fading in a way not entirely unlike those before them.

-

Washu approached me, blocking my view of Death and the former Uchiha. After a brief hug, she took my hand and the world around us faded to a darkened laboratory filled with machines of indescribable function. My scan and observe abilities stopped working, and she sat me down on a hovering chair while preparing some tea at a workstation with a hot plate. Another chair and a floating table arrived for her, and we drank in silence for a while before she looked back up at me.

"You're technically done," she said quietly. "That's it. You're powerful enough to make the experiment a success, and wise enough to let others judge someone who's hurt those under your protection when you couldn't do so impartially. If they'd been closer to you it would have been more difficult and there's a long way to go before you're a fully qualified creator of multiverses all your own, but that will come in time. From observing you and your alternate selves I've learned a lot about how my sisters and I must have started." I nodded along, unsure but willing to see where this went.

"As a god you'll eventually earn your capital G. I've no doubt about it now. From here on out there's some things you need to know: first, since the end of the Gamer Jump I haven't been fully fuelling your powers. Normally Jumpers gain perks and drawbacks that are backed by their sponsor and eventually their Spark, but with the way you went about doing things I've had to contribute less and less as time went by. Your divinity has been filling in for me there." She took a sip of her tea, and stared at her cup as she continued.

"Second: you've already started to manifest a Spark on your own by creating and travelling between dimensions, then unconsciously tapping your creations for power. Third: your ability as a shapeshifter is almost to the point where you'll no longer find true alternate forms any different than those you use regularly, and your ability to be in more than one place at a time with powers intact is greater than mine was when I started. Fourth: I've become quite fond of you, and want to see you reach your true potential. I know I'm not your first, but I'd be honored if you'd call me mother." Her eyes locked back on mine, carefully concealed hope shining through her otherwise neutral expression.

Tears blurred my vision as I considered what to do from here. Hearing that I was so close to reaching my own goals and that I'd surpassed the many of the ones Washu had set for me leant me hope that I'd be able to reunite with Guinevere sooner rather than later. Tutoring from my favorite multi-versal Goddess was nothing to be scoffed at, and the offer of familial ties left an ache in my chest I'd long since gotten into the habit of suppressing. The truth was that I missed my first family, and I'd spent longer as a Jumper than I had alive. I would always treasure them, but I wasn't sure if I could go back to the way things were before after all I'd experienced. My mind and soul were irrevocably changed, even if I did somehow fit into a mundane human body again.

Guinevere had been my rock all these years, either as a goal to reunite with her or as a companion when she was in some way present. A gentle hand on my shoulder brought my attention her gently smiling face at my side, and she crawled into the chair with me. I cried for a time about the loss of closeness with my first family and those friends I'd made in that life, but my decision was already made. The gulf of time and experience between us meant even if I did go back I wouldn't be the me of the present. I couldn't be. Or could I? I could send an avatar once I figured out how to make one, with only my memories up to that point and no powers to lessen the impact of grief and life out the rest of my natural life. That would satisfy my urge to reconnect with them, and on the off chance that I decided that world was too far off course I could conceivably either talk to the local deities or take control myself.

Whether I'd intended it or not, Washu was now part of that family. I'd started to think of her as a sort of nebulous relation sometime during the first Jump, and the feeling had only strengthened since then. When she gave voice to it the term mother really was a fitting one. I'd had several mother figures, but only she and a few people in my first life had the kind of impact on me that would merit the word. The discussion that followed between myself and the ladies present resulted in Washu-assisted avatars of our original selves being sent back to our first lives. Guinevere, Washu, Ember, Konatsu, and Ukyo were all family now and I wasn't going to leave them to resume my old life on my own.

We'd finish the Naruto Jump at different times, with me "dying" first and the others following when their business was done. The people of Bastion would continue to live alongside their counterparts in the Naruto universe, with me maintaining the connection between the two places indefinitely unless something forced my hand (the heat death of that universe, for example). When I left, so too did the divine aspect of chakra and with it the ability to re-define the rules enforced by both magic and the nature of the universe.

[Quest complete: Aspect of Tsunami!]


	37. Chapter 37

My return to the cosmic warehouse was anti-climactic. I'd lived a good life and seen a bunch of the Naruto characters I knew grow up, but it'd been very different from the original story. With Bastion a place of peace that was impenetrable to even the most determined of hostile forces the balance of power in the Elemental Nations had been shifted irrevocably in their favor. Those who were allies with the new nature and peace-loving masters of runic magic were inevitably better off than those who weren't, and the world followed suit. I shook my head to clear it of such thoughts. That world was behind me now, and Washu was studying a few suggested builds she'd put together when I expressed an interest in continuing the Jump-Chain.

"Welcome back, son!" She said, not bothering to look at me as I approached. "I've got some challenges for you, if you'd like to try them. You could really do creative mode and just stomp around everywhere if you wanted at this point, but I think it'll be more fun for both of us and a better learning experience for you if you send avatars instead and let me teach your main self."

I nodded, and glanced at the screen. Most of the challenges seemed to be to limit myself to or from using specific powers, and the rewards were pretty fantastic. The ones she had prepared were Civilization, Death Note, Discworld, Doctor Who, and Dragonball. I looked over them for a bit and chose the Death Note challenge since it would be quick and fairly easy. Several perks were free since I already had equivalent abilities, but I picked up I Can See You, Private, Immune, and Invisible in addition to 400 choice points worth of drawbacks that wouldn't matter if I met the conditions of the challenge. An extra fifty choice points put me right where I wanted to be: the same school as Yagami Light just after he picked up the Death Note but before he wrote in it.

Turning on my new invisibility ability along with a host of stealth spells then scrying for Light's location was easy and only took a few seconds. Teleporting to him and summoning the Death Note from his backpack didn't even catch his attention, but the reaper Ryuk was immediately after me since I'd stolen the book that would set his precious game in motion from his chosen pawn. A half hour or so flying over Tokyo to find a nice uninhabited place later found me confronting a panting reaper who looked both annoyed and confused. He couldn't see my name or when I was going to die, so he couldn't even attempt to use his own Death Note on me, and he wasn't actually all that physically powerful.

I let him watch me as I scanned him with my Builder and Gamer abilities, then yanked his fancy pen and his copy of the Death Note out of his fancy belt holster. He jumped into the air and went to chase after it as I telekinetically brought it to me, only to meet a combination of mystical barriers and my telekinetic grip around his neck.

"Hello, Ryuk. You've been a naughty boy, and attracted the attention of something bigger than yourself," I said teasingly. He growled and struggled, but it was essentially useless. "Now, you're going to tell me how to enter your world to save me some time. If you don't you'll experience a great deal of pain," I said and pulled an apple out of nowhere to munch on. "But if you do I'll give you a few of these as a parting gift. What do you say?"

He sagged in mid-air, hanging from his neck and wheezing a little. I knew his name, could see him, could restrain him, knew of his addiction to apples, and had taken his only means of fighting back. I drew him closer and allowed him to take a bite of another apple, but he didn't immediately divulge any information. With a mental twitch I crushed his limbs, causing him to howl in agony. It wouldn't kill the bastard, and he'd been perfectly willing to cause any number of deaths both for entertainment and to prolong his twisted un-life. After a few minutes of gasping and whimpering his limbs began to straighten themselves out, so I generated a bit of fire under him to keep him motivated.

"Alright!" He gasped, having figured out that I could hurt him and wouldn't hesitate to do so. "It's easy to get in! All you have to do is use the Death Note! Kill somebody with it and you can get in!" He struggled weakly, and I sighed.

"I'm not an idiot, reaper. I'm well aware of the Notes and how they work. I'm also aware you can fly home, as it were, and that you can bring things with you. Tell me how before convincing you becomes more trouble than finding it myself." His eyes bugged out, and he hissed a laugh.

"You really think you can do anything to me? Oh, the pain! The mortal with the fancy powers thinks he can intimidate a Death God! A reaper, as you say. Don't make me laugh. I only need breath to speak, and while you can damage my body you cannot kill that which is already dead! Even if I told you what you want to know the Death God King would crush you in an instant! You're just one of them with some fancy tricks," he said with a sneer. He looked a lot less pathetic hanging by his neck now, and was actually taking the weight off by hovering a little. "I can't sense another of my kind here, after all. That means you're cattle, and nothing more. I'll find your name and take your life, then I'll take the lives of everyone you hold dear! Or maybe...maybe I'll do it the other way around, eh?"

His expression was smug now, and his visage would be vaguely intimidating if I cared. His limbs were once again crushed in my telekinetic grip, and his eyes went wide but he didn't scream again. His gasp as I struck at his mind was ignored, and since we'd just been talking about it the information I wanted was right near the top of his thoughts. He was screaming now, and might have even been visible to the normal people of this world in his agony as I tore the information from his mind.

'_Washu? Does Death have any objection to my potentially wiping out the parasitic scum that call themselves Death Gods in this world?_' The reply took a moment, and sounded a bit hesitant.

'_No. They're technically perverting the natural cycle instead of enforcing it, but… Wren, you're acting like some of your alternates before I had to end them. Please explain yourself young man,_' she said in Mom Voice.

I winced a little, but went through my reasons logically. While the whole cat and mouse game presented in the show would have eliminated a lot of criminals, in the end Light killed quite a few innocents too. The whole thing was set up to provide entertainment and longer life to the reapers in defiance of Death and the natural cycle, meaning that not only were they parasites they went out of their way to cause chaos and destruction for no reason other than boredom. Stopping them was a priority, and there were only a few ways I could see to do that. First, I could seal away the human realm and eliminate the source of the Death Notes. Second, I could kill them all so they'd receive judgement at the hands of the entity they flaunted. Last, I could erase them and their realm so thoroughly there was nothing left to judge. I much preferred the first option. Washu "hmm"ed in the back of my mind as she contemplated this, but she seemed to accept it.

'_Alright. You were bound to pass judgement like this at some point. I can't keep giving you the answers forever and expect you to grow, so I'll leave the choice in your hands. Just...don't be too hasty. Eliminating souls is not something you should take lightly, no matter how evil they seem._'

I nodded, confusing the recovering reaper in front of me and deciding on a course of action. I could see Ryuk's twisted soul, but it was in theory only a part of the infinite whole. Destroying it would be pointless and might damage others that were connected to it but less deserving of punishment. If I was going to represent life, death, or any other force as a god I would do so responsibly. The fact that what I was about to do was probably more painful than burning the wretch out of existence with a holy version of fiendfyre was just a bonus. I gathered myself, then struck out with divine energy and tore the soul from the body before me and let it pass on. The body itself I deconstructed and stored in my inventory as raw materials.

My eyes sought out and found a place in the sky where Ryuk's portal into the mortal world was slowly decaying, and I shot through it into a world of lifeless gray. The portal itself was scanned and dispelled as I went through it, and I found myself surrounded by reapers who'd been watching the goings-on with interest. Not having heard my conversation with Washu and having had very little time to realize I'd actually killed one of them they didn't react to defend themselves and they were subjected to the same treatment. Their Death Notes joined Ryuk's and Light's in my inventory, and I set out to find the supposed Death God King.

Munching apples as I went and deconstructing the cores seemed to fuel both my in-Jump apple and sweet addictions, but boredom was getting to me. A quick check of whether or not I could deconstruct the scenery revealed that the place counted as already claimed, so instead of using the actual builder power I dedicated a whole lot of thought to tearing the place apart with earth bending and storing the chunks themselves in my inventory. The results were roughly the same, and the gaping void where ground had been was interesting enough to study that following the results of my latest scrying spell wasn't quite so dull. I probably should have re-considered taking the Boredom drawback when I had a theoretically infinite number of threads to entertain. Limiting the number active was helping, as was giving them all something to do in addition to their normal tasks.

As I went a curious resistance to my actions started to build up. I could feel something pushing back at me, attempting to prevent me from killing the reapers I came across and especially trying to prevent me from essentially devouring the world as I went. Theoretically infinite threads of thought multiplied and continued to fight, and I started to toy with the idea of inverting the use of my genesis ability to collapse the entire plane of existence instead of confronting the kind within his own castle as it were. It probably wouldn't be necessary, but I dedicated a few threads to working out how to do it anyway.

The resistance grew greater with time, but it was in no way insurmountable. Gaming the system of my mystical energy by dedicating arbitrary numbers of threads to generating more and to overcoming said resistance with as little as possible wasn't nearly as difficult as it should have been. With determination and creativity I wasn't sure there was anything in this world that could actually stop me, but I proceeded with caution nonetheless toward the growing spheroid of flesh in the distance. The skull motif was heavy here, and the bug-like pincers of the thing were scrabbling madly even as it called the other reapers to defend it. There weren't many, and those that answered the call met their ends before they could hurt me.

Many were more physically capable than Ryuk had been, and a few had supernatural abilities to throw my way as well. These were countered, dispelled, or ignored and the reapers themselves eliminated. The translation felt wrong here. These parasites called themselves shinigami in Japanese, meaning god or spirit of death. They could also be termed reapers, but it was an out-of-the-way interpretation. Reaper also seemed to give them too much credit. Were they merely undead, then? Powerful malevolent spirits of those departed pooling what supernatural ability they had to extend their own existence at the cost of others? Was this purgatory?

Ultimately it didn't matter. When I reached the huge chain-laden ball of flesh and skulls the parasites called King I smote the damn thing hard enough that the echoes of my divine energy were probably felt in other realms. The stack of Death Notes it'd been sitting on were scanned and destroyed, with me only keeping one copy of the "human" version, one of the version they'd been using, and one that seemed to be a combination of the two for study. I felt the ripples of my actions spread through the world around me and into the not-space I'd started feeling that indicated time and other dimensions. I watched as time ground to a halt with the destruction of the the very structure that drove the plot of this world and Washu's avatar manifested before me. She watched as I claimed and deconstructed the whole of that world in minutes, and said nothing as we slipped out of that world back toward Elysium. She did smile, though.

New power settled over me as I felt the Immune perk I'd gained grow in scope and utility, and Death's Blessing further warped my divine energy to the point where I could actually see and feel the cycle of life, death, and the afterlife. For most souls there was no end: there was always more to explore and experience. Those too damaged or judged unfit to continue as they were experienced a death of personality, but were not erased completely. Even the infinite timelines constantly shifting, collapsing, and being born anew didn't destroy souls.

My new mother had been testing me with the fiendfyre thing. I could have destroyed the individual bits that existed in that universe, but their souls would have lived on despite anything I could currently do. Washu watched my expression with a soft smile as I processed these new revelations, and hugged me to her as I examined my own soul again. We were connected. Not just myself and Washu, but everyone and everything I'd ever loved. By my soul she was just as much my mother as the one I remembered from before she plucked me up. Through those immediate links a vast web connected me to the rest of creation. The tenuous threads connecting different multiverses reminded me strongly of the pictures I'd seen illustrating the way galaxies were connected by filaments of barely-there gases, and the similarities didn't stop there. This was the pattern of creation, and it was breathtaking.


	38. Chapter 38

A stop off in the Warehouse and some quality time with Washu and Guinevere later, I was looking over the Jump Document for Darksiders. I'd been hesitant to go there since it was basically an "abandon all hope" scenario, but a little work on the entry portal should enable me to drop in a little early. I wanted the End Jump over and done with so my Planeswalker Spark could fully mature, and it was this or Dragon Ball. I didn't like Dragon Ball, so apocalypse-in-progress it was. At least that would be interesting. The document itself was enlightening, indicating that Heaven and Hell were starting the end times early because of some plot by Hell that involved framing the Horseman War for starting things early. Good times. The portal opened, I messed with it, Washu wished me luck with a sly grin, and I stepped through.

I found myself standing on a crowded street, an ominous feeling in the air. I'd heard of this game but never played it so the huge New York style traffic jam was unexpected but at least indicated I'd arrived early as intended. My clothing (mostly the leather bracers) got a couple of odd looks, but people were distracted enough by the news screens showing a hail of large previously undetected meteors falling toward Earth to care. According to the report the impacts would begin within an hour [1], and I knew there was no way the evacuations called for were going to happen in so little time. Traffic was probably bad before the evacuations were announced, and it was absolute gridlock now. I knew this place was going to turn into a battleground between Heaven and Hell, so why not do a little armageddon-proofing while I waited?

My first priority was obviously going to be to protect as many people as possible. While I didn't have a way of stopping the oncoming disaster without knowing the full plot of the game and more time, I could probably get people out of the way in the time I had. The small alternate dimensions created with the Instant Dungeon / Genesis skill had been a way to keep supernatural threats from harming innocents in The Gamer, and they would do so again now. This would just be a little bigger than the work I usually did.

I took shelter in a coffee shop restroom, then released the restraints on my physical form and went full-on energy mode. The first time I'd done this my consciousness had easily and quite naturally filled a fairly large Instant Dungeon. I wanted to do so much more than that I wasn't even sure it was possible, but I was going to try regardless. My form spread, holy energy washing over first the city itself, then the state, the continent, and eventually the planet and the space immediately around it.

The strain on my mind of seeing and experiencing everything on the surface of the Earth was off-loaded to multiple threads of thought in a hierarchy to let me process things at the highest level without losing details, then every single one of those base level threads **pushed** to create an alternate dimension copy of the planet itself. It took a few minutes as opposed to the near-instant formation I was used to and pushed my mental ability to the limit despite parallel processing, but it worked. Every unempowered creature on the face of the planet was subtly pushed into the copy dimension where they would be unaffected by the activities of the empowered beings that were coming.

On the original Earth services ground to a halt and things started to break down immediately. Vehicles crashed with nobody guiding them and other processes started going off the rails soon after. Devoting a multitude of threads to maintaining and altering both the New Earth in its pocket dimension and the Battleground Earth I'd started on took only a few seconds, and I dedicated them to working on the barriers of New Earth first. I could already feel demonic forces bubbling up below the surface of Battleground Earth, but I wanted to make sure they couldn't escape and minimize the chance they would detect New Earth.

Using my knowledge of portals, teleportation, and wards allowed me to effectively lock down the area magically but there was no guarantee the would be enough. Establishing some discrete but powerful mystical energy generators and hiding them with their own defenses in a dimension nested under both New Earth and Battleground Earth allowed me to pull a similar trick to what I'd done in Bastion and later Elysium, giving the entire planet both a constant source of power that would only be available to me and a degree of responsiveness to my wishes. Using that power I sealed the path to New Earth with both magic and my divine will, then altered the space inside and the barriers of the place to fine-tune the emulated effects of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. There may have also been a few satellites that I missed and had to manually copy over to New Earth, but that didn't really bother me. Disrupting services for an hour or so was better than allowing the end war to start in the middle of everything.

Even with what amounted to unlimited copies of myself and my power, some things had to go in order and wait on others. I'd taken at least forty five minutes getting the planet and its occupants safely tucked away and provided with the appropriate level of heat and light, creating an extra power source for myself in both New Earth and Battleground, then making sure everything was in order with gravity and other forces. Locking things down and warding had started after the power source was finished and was an ongoing effort parallel to the rest. Fires burned out of control over the entirety of Battleground. People on New Earth were confused, but a lot calmer than I'd expected. Feeling the rush of holy energy cover the globe and seeing the descending projectiles (as well as the moon, stars, and a few satellites) vanish from the sky had done a bit to offset panic and replace it with confusion.

I wondered idly if any of the major players had noticed me yet, and decided it was almost a certainty that they had. I'd entered this world in a way and time slightly inconsistent with the Jump Document despite using it as a guideline. Moving the entire human and animal populations of Earth into another realm, copying the rest of life on Earth during the creation of said realm, locking that realm away with the power of a god, and possibly stealing the weapon of one of the four Horsemen (Death's scythe wasn't that impressive in person) had most likely been noticed by someone. It was possible the major players were ignorant given that I'd left the original Earth and unsouled life behind, but… well, hopefully the incoming armies either wouldn't notice or wouldn't care until I'd had a chance to "reason" with them.

A quick review of my own condition was in order before the game started, as it were. My presence was spread out over both New Earth and Battleground Earth, I had both saturated with holy power, a whole lot of idle threads were placing magical traps and other defenses on Battleground and the border between there and New Earth, and I had a scythe that could theoretically kill anything. I'd taken the Celestial Technology and Maker's Prodigy perks with the Hunted drawback for the Charred Council, Heaven, and Hell in addition to Endgame Gambit. It hadn't specified I couldn't gain extra points for being an immediate target after all, and I kind of enjoyed the numbers game of the Jump Chain. I sighed a little at that. With my powers the way they were it was quickly becoming redundant, and would probably just function as a convenient guide to further Jumps as opposed to a way to gain abilities and loot.

There were the challenges, at least. Those would allow me to indulge in a few more Jumps without the perk/drawback system being completely useless. I'd gain an Old Spark after this, too. That would greatly increase my understanding of the multiverse and ease travel in addition to enhancing my abilities and providing a way to remotely extract excess energy from lands I'd claimed. I doubted I'd need to do that on a regular basis, but I wasn't going to turn it down. Further mastery of spellcasting and shapeshifting would come with practice, and I'd get a lot of that here if my foes were as tough as I feared.

My introspection complete, I looked to the sky. Returning to my Builder body on the Battleground Earth but leaving the extra threads incorporeal I started up the combat-related abilities I didn't keep active at all times and tested them for readiness. There were hundreds of millions of supernatural presences hidden among the approaching meteors, and since I had some time I started working on a custom version of my railgun conjuration. A bit of nullification to pierce supernatural resistances and prevent regeneration, a lot of holy smite, and a heap of virtual mass generated by warping space made the usual tungsten rods a lot more deadly. Adding adamantine, blessed silver, and cold iron studs to the runed projectiles ensured they would be deadly to anything with those specific "allergies." I now had a spell that conjured temporary projectiles weighing several tens of tons each that nullified supernatural abilities on contact and released a high level burst of energy to smite the unholy whenever they met such. Using said spell in conjunction with my ridiculously powerful telekinesis and a host of sensory abilities, I lined up a shot on the closest meteor and let fly.

The explosion was spectacular, and those targets that followed allowed me to tone down the force to slightly less relativistic speeds between bouts of flash blindness. There were still streaks of light and extremely loud claps of thunder left in the wake of each projectile as they destroyed or violently displaced the air around them, but at least my healing ability was adapting a little more quickly now. By the time close combat began I would most likely be immune to both flash blindness and deafness. The electric charge, heat, physical shockwaves, radiation, and metal vapor I was producing already didn't bother me beyond making it necessary employ both flight and chakra techniques to avoid being knocked around.

My extra threads, having mostly completed their work in securing New Earth and its borders, opened fire on the incoming threats as they entered the outer edges of the atmosphere. With a virtually infinite number of incorporeal defenders, the entire thing was over before any of the fireballs reached the ground landed. I blinked in surprise, then leaned backward to avoid the sword strike of a gigantic figure in a red hood. The reflexive railgun blast scattered my attacker over the landscape and caused yet another flash and bang as the projectile continued over the horizon. Slowing time for myself and going over my memory of the event again didn't change much. A gigantic humanoid with glowing eyes in Warcraft-style red and gold armor, ridiculous sword and all, had appeared and swung said glowing sword at me. My precognition had seen it coming and prepared a projectile, then vaporized the idiot just after he appeared.

That was a little confusing. Had he or hadn't he swung the sword? Did it matter? Something unholy started to emerge from the ground and met the same fate. A bunch of souls and the first guy's ridiculous sword and armor remained as loot, which I threw in my inventory out of habit. I looked around owlishly, noting the incoming loot (mostly souls and equipment) falling to the ground and being picked up by my other threads. Since when were souls loot, anyway? I'd used soulstones before, but whole souls? Speaking of...there was a strong tug coming from my inventory, much like the summoning I'd experienced before. A little bit of investigation revealed that the man in the gaudy cosplay armor had actually been the Rider War, and his soul was being summoned but couldn't go anywhere since it was in my possession.

Well, that could be fun. I left the extra bits of my consciousness behind and followed the pull through a dimensional barrier and into another plane, appearing in a cavern of molten rock with three weird stone faces and lots of fire. They started yelling at me in both anger and confusion, so I hit them with multi-ton conjured projectiles moving at a good fraction of the speed of light. The resulting explosions reduced most of the cavern to its constituent atoms, and the souls possessing the faces were violently expelled only to be caught in the grip of my holy energy. Since it seemed to be the thing to do here, I threw them in my inventory and started wandering around. Some goth guy in a mask showed up, and this time I actually paid attention to the name hovering above his head: Death. As much fun as killing him with his own scythe would be (I didn't see one on him), I exploded him the same way I'd done War and the rock faces that were the Charred Council. His soul went in my inventory with the others, and I moved on.

It wasn't long before a gun-toting lunatic by the name of Strife and an idiot with a whip by the name of Fury showed up. They received the same treatment, and I was actually starting to feel a little disappointed. Why was everything around here so...squishy? Maybe I'd gone overboard on the projectiles and nullifying their supernatural abilities was making them ridiculously vulnerable to raw physical trauma. I decided to run a scan on the next few things that popped up as I wandered the cavernous space that remained. There were spirits of some sort in the magma that lit the place, but they didn't seem willing to attack me so I left them alone for now. I could always throw an overpowered exorcism their way before I left.

A few more lackeys showed up, and scans revealed that even though they were hybrids of angels and demons they were just about as vulnerable to physical damage as they were to holy attacks, but most of their defense was supernatural in nature as opposed to biological. That explained why they disintegrated when hit with my railgun technique, at least. With the nullification and optional smite in addition to being hit by what was essentially a micro-nuke they were just overwhelmed. I shrugged, thinking that in the end it didn't really matter. In order to meet the goal for this Jump I had to basically wipe out the Charred Council (done), the Four Horsemen (done), and the forces of Heaven and Hell. It'd only been a couple of hours and I'd almost done….all of that. I could practically automate the rest with wards and idle threads, really.

Maybe it was time to finish this. I gathered a ridiculous amount of energy for first a wide-area exorcism/smite combination, then a similarly ridiculous amount of energy for a sort of reverse-genesis effect to collapse the dimension/demi-plane behind me when I left. Anything that didn't get cleared out by the first would be killed by the second and picked up by the nearest incarnation of Death. I set off both in quick succession before stepping back in the direction of Battleground Earth to watch the fireworks. The destruction of an entire (small) plane of existence isn't something you get to watch everyday, after all. There were places where the anti-genesis effect could be improved, too. Washu offered some critiques, which was actually the first time she'd spoken to me since I arrived in Darksiders.

Following the path back to Battleground Earth was relatively easy, given that I'd followed a summoning through it already. I could feel the Spark Washu talked about growing inside me already, probably as a result of practicing both inter-dimensional travel and gathering energy from the lands I'd empowered. If I had to guess I'd say the closest equivalent to what I was doing was a super-charged Rampant Growth across wide areas that would normally count as multiple lands.

What I found when I got back was a ton of loot and a bunch of threads that would have otherwise gotten bored breaking down pollutants and other waste with Builder powers. A lot of natural environments had already been restored to pristine conditions, and there were a few portals leading off to dimensions I'd already visited where more threads were apparently already doing the same. Absorbing the knowledge of how they'd created those portals was fascinating and involved several thousand carefully documented attempts along with a few dozen different ways of transporting myself with and without leaving a pre-made way back. There were a bunch of threads repairing places that had turned into gaping chasms and cooling down arbitrary hell-spawned lava, too.

Demons and similar hellspawn had decided it was just as epic to rise out of the ground as it was to fall from the sky, but all of them disintegrated in roughly the same way. Some were large enough to require multiple doses of barely-subluminal tungsten, but not many. I scratched at my stubble idly. Wait, I'd grown stubble? I usually didn't bother with excess body hair on my forms anymore, but it looked like I'd subconsciously started adding it to my male forms again for aesthetics. It didn't matter.

'_Washu, am I done here?_' I asked my benefactor/mother figure.

'_Basically, yeah. You could stick around and mop up the remaining forces if you wanted to actually invade Heaven and/or Hell, but they're pretty much terrified of you now. You finished the objectives for the Jump you were so worried about in…three hours and seven minutes, if I count the time it took you to ask me. If you stick around the local Builder equivalents will make contact and teach you as per the Maker's Prodigy perk, but you could just leave an avatar behind for that_,' she replied enthusiastically. '_I want to get you into some interesting universes, mister! You still haven't visited my home multiverse, the Buffy-verse, Sailor Moon, Star Trek, Star Wars, or any of the comic/movie-verses you wanted to mess around with. Also, I really think you should try Worm. Think of the fans, Wren!_'

'_...what fans? What are you talking about, Washu? ...Washu?_'

'_I may have said too much, but you'll probably understand the explanation right away. You know how authors pick up on what's happening in other universes and write it as fiction?_'

I stopped gathering loot and looked around warily. How much had they seen? How accurate was it? I really hoped it wasn't porn. It was unlikely given how little I'd done to merit the genre, but not impossible. By the great Flying Spaghetti Monster, there might be fanfiction! Or fanart! I wasn't sure whether to feel honored or horrified. No. I was a boring do-gooder in literal god-mode at this point. If anyone was relating what I was doing they'd lose their audience pretty quickly. I slumped in relief, and went back over the list of places I'd wanted to visit. They were all viable options, but I'd probably want to send avatars rather than my main presence. Worship from the current Earth was already flowing in and empowering me that much more for stopping the apocalypse since the local god apparently wasn't in at the moment. It'd probably switch over to them as soon as they got back.

I opened a portal back to my Elysium with a sigh, leaving a good number of threads behind to manage the place until whoever normally took care of it got back. I'd need to turn the souls I'd collected over to the actual multi-dimensional Death, since there wasn't anything I wanted from them. After that Washu had a bunch of tutoring and family bonding lined up. Ember, Konatsu, and Ukyo still hadn't died in the Naruto universe, but Guinevere and Washu were good company. Come to think of it, weren't they all technically hybrid Senju-Uzumaki now? It was probably going to be a few centuries before I saw them if they didn't get fed up and leave on their own. I'd send them an avatar to keep them company and myself up to date, and it could take them back to Elysium if they decided they were done.

My return was punctuated by a tackle-hug from a widely-grinning Guinevere and the feeling of the Planeswalker Spark inside of me flaring up and partially merging with my divine aura. Washu smiled proudly at me, Death showed up to take the extra souls off my hands, and we had a little celebration since I'd completed an End Jump, even though Washu's experiment had ended already. She was still gathering data of course, but that was just Washu being Washu. Death actually took a piece of cake with him and invited me to visit the afterlife of my home world whenever I wanted, which involved a great deal of cuddling previous pets and chatting with friends and relatives that hadn't been around when I was taken for the Jump Chain. Aah, sweet catharsis. My avatar back home proved to be the one writing about me, which was both cool and awkward. Did that make me a narcissist? I was pretty sure that was narcissistic. At least it wasn't pornographic.


	39. Chapter 39

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div class="bbWrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;"The Los Angeles offices of Wolfram and Hart were abuzz with news of their latest potential client. Several seers had died of shock and been brought back as undead due to the perpetuity causes in their contracts when they discovered the Lightbringer himself had come to California, but not all of them were still sane enough to be useful. Lucifer had been an oft-cited but seldom-believed legend up to that point. The images captured from the minds of the diviners still among the living showed a brightly glowing figure with ethereal wings bathed in white hellfire casually destroying any who opposed him with a glance and a streak of actinic light. The flaming sword in some of the visions and the casual collection of the souls of those he'd slain lent even more weight to the claim the Devil himself had entered the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The way he batted aside actual angels in full battle gear in the middle of an abandoned modern city was encouraging for the Senior Partners and their enforcers, who'd originally intended to bring about their own apocalypse. Even if the they couldn't recruit such a powerful figure they could certainly ingratiate themselves to it and piggyback on its plans to further their own agenda. Agents, clean up crews, caterers (Lucifer liked bar food?), and lawyers were all contacted and instructed to keep the massively powerful being happy no matter the cost, and an expense account was cobbled together from emergency funds for that style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /From the histories it was believed that the god of creation had long since left this realm to its own devices. The so-called "Powers That Be" had taken up the role of "good" (or maintaining the status quo, depending on who you asked) while the Wolf, Ram, and Hart had taken the role of "evil." Sometimes things changed, and it was of course all subjective, but the world generally experienced a steady descent into depravity. Potential ends of the world cropped up here and there but were always thwarted by those who couldn't agree on just how it should end. Despite all that, Lucifer was supposed to be only one step or two behind the Creator in power. They had no choice but to align themselves with the Morning Star and hope for the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Holland Manners, Head of Special Projects, had drawn the short straw among the directors stationed in California. He'd known long ago that the job came with both amazing risks and amazing benefits but had never expected to have to deal with the actual Devil. That was why he'd delegated the task of keeping the immensely powerful being happy to a pair of Junior Partners that seemed to be after his job. Lindsey McDonald and Lilah Morgan hated each other too much to effectively plan his downfall together and could be easily sacrificed to compensate for any screw-ups, hopefully keeping Lucifer happy with the firm in the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Similar unrest was quickly and quietly dealt with in the Watchers' Council. Surely the under-trained Slayer in the area would be lost if she confronted the Devil himself, and another would be called elsewhere. Could they even afford to wait that long, though? Many of the Slayer candidates that had been found early were trained well and awaited only their empowerment to begin their duties. Research into solutions to the problem found a few possibilities, but between Lucifer and the prophecy regarding the Slayer's death later the coming year it was determined no direct action would be taken in California for the time being. The rest of the world was a different style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Resources were stockpiled, known Slayer candidates were called in for or instructed to begin additional training, equipment and safe houses were double-checked, and Watcher candidate training was switched from mostly academic to a more survival and combat-oriented curriculum. The Council would fight this and every other evil preying on humanity until the bitter end, and to do so they needed to be prepared. The old gods and true demons had mostly been defeated and either driven out of their dimension or slain. So too would this upstart fallen angel. style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Various covens of witches and other "friendly" magic users were also called upon to bolster the ranks and provide support, but few of them answered the call. The Watchers had burned a lot of bridges over the years, and it was coming back to bite style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /One seeress in particular had some extra-strange visions. Instead of picking up on the presence of a new supernatural power, she somehow found herself subjected to visions of a yet-to-be-created children's show complete with audio. When Drusilla the Mad started babbling about how friendship was magic she was completely ignored by all but her darling Spike, who while confused would never ignore her. He took away from the one-sided conversation that minions would be extra necessary in the future, that he may need to find a witch or ten to bribe into helping keep him and his lady love safe, and finally that the weed in California was a lot stronger than he remembered. Perhaps a move back to Europe was in order?br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The Powers That Be, as they called themselves, were deeply unhappy. A new player in the game meant more competition, and they couldn't do a whole lot on Earth as it was. Since being forced off-world by the Old Ones and kept there by the Wolf, Ram, and Hart in conjunction with the First Evil they hadn't been able to evenly match the forces of destruction, let alone push them back. They didn't remember the Lightbringer themselves, but he'd been recorded in history as one of the first sons of the Creator and there were prison dimensions they'd never been able to check. It was quite possible he was real, and his return could prove to be the final straw for the world at style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /There was only one problem with that: the long-dormant conduit of power coming from the Creator itself was starting to show signs of life. Either the Lightbringer was closer in both power and nature to the Creator than they'd ever imagined or he wasn't the only one returning. If a true God showed up they might gain an overwhelmingly powerful ally. The self-proclaimed gods (hellish or not) of the worlds they watched over just couldn't match up to something that could dictate the rules of existence. A brilliant flash lit the halls of Heaven, and with a flare of amethyst and silver light a dancing flame burned for the first time in billions of years in the center of the upper style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /While it did not empower all those of the Powers and the Host who approached, it did so for many. Atrophied servants of creation that had long since left things to The Powers were slowly regaining their strength. The presence was different according to those with the longest memories, but the power was real and pure. Even changed, the Creator had returned. There had been no announcement so things were kept quiet, but the Heavenly Host prepared once more to make their mark on both the Earth and style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Far below, Tara Maclay opened the door to a pair of proselytizers asking her if she'd heard the word of their Lord and Savoir. She outright laughed exclaiming that she'd been saved by her very own guardian angel and they should move on before closing the door in their faces. If they didn't already know, they would style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Outside, Lindsay McDonald and Lilah Morgan stood dumbfounded. The Deceiver worked fast, and had already recruited a pair of powerful witches to his side if the records they'd found and the young woman's reaction were any indication. The wards around the house were the strongest they'd ever encountered but they couldn't feel a damn thing. They'd had to get creative just to get to the door, swearing that they didn't intend to harm anyone within. The barely-perceptible presence they'd felt shift was still there watching, waiting for any mistake or sign of deceit. They'd both felt a twinge of pain when they agreed on the plan to ask about their new client, and another when the young woman that answered the door looked briefly annoyed at style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Next door Buffy, Dawn, and Joyce summers enjoyed a gift basket left by their new neighbor filled with chocolate from all over the world. In Boston a supremely old vampire, his assistant, and all his minions burned to less than ash in white fire. What passed for their souls were dragged south to the ass-end of the Earth and into a prison from which they would never escape. Darla was less than pleased by the quality of her new company. Several intangible clones returned to the essence of their creator, having completed all their tasks and style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /In LA Jesse McNally woke weeks later to find he really didn't ever want to go back to Sunnydale, and begged his parents not to make him go. Since they'd recently been offered lucrative employment elsewhere but had stayed for their son to finish school they agreed. Since he'd need to catch up on school anyway after his coma and his skull and ribs both needed time to heal, they'd enrol him again next year wherever they ended style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The First Evil, manifestation of and dumping ground for all the world's hate, selfishness, and angst curled in on itself. While it spanned the entirety of the local multiverse, it wasn't arrogant enough to think that being both incorporeal and conceptual would keep it from death against a being that could go undetected save for the fact its very presence rejuvenated the fabric of reality itself. Things were changing again, and it wouldn't be a good idea to show up with powers like that around. Plots were aborted or delayed, pawns were destroyed or let go, and all other traces of its presence on Earth vanished. Every member of the Harbingers of Doom experienced sudden heart failure over the course of the next few days and their souls were stuffed in the deepest pits available to hide them./div  
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	40. Chapter 40

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div class="message-userContent lbContainer js-lbContainer hasThreadmark" style="box-sizing: border-box;" data-lb-id="post-42007273" data-lb-caption-desc="Wrin · Dec 6, 2017 at 2:23 PM"  
div class="bbWrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.875rem;"The Los Angeles offices of Wolfram and Hart were abuzz with news of their latest potential client. Several seers had died of shock and been brought back as undead due to the perpetuity causes in their contracts when they discovered the Lightbringer himself had come to California, but not all of them were still sane enough to be useful. Lucifer had been an oft-cited but seldom-believed legend up to that point. The images captured from the minds of the diviners still among the living showed a brightly glowing figure with ethereal wings bathed in white hellfire casually destroying any who opposed him with a glance and a streak of actinic light. The flaming sword in some of the visions and the casual collection of the souls of those he'd slain lent even more weight to the claim the Devil himself had entered the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The way he batted aside actual angels in full battle gear in the middle of an abandoned modern city was encouraging for the Senior Partners and their enforcers, who'd originally intended to bring about their own apocalypse. Even if the they couldn't recruit such a powerful figure they could certainly ingratiate themselves to it and piggyback on its plans to further their own agenda. Agents, clean up crews, caterers (Lucifer liked bar food?), and lawyers were all contacted and instructed to keep the massively powerful being happy no matter the cost, and an expense account was cobbled together from emergency funds for that style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /From the histories it was believed that the god of creation had long since left this realm to its own devices. The so-called "Powers That Be" had taken up the role of "good" (or maintaining the status quo, depending on who you asked) while the Wolf, Ram, and Hart had taken the role of "evil." Sometimes things changed, and it was of course all subjective, but the world generally experienced a steady descent into depravity. Potential ends of the world cropped up here and there but were always thwarted by those who couldn't agree on just how it should end. Despite all that, Lucifer was supposed to be only one step or two behind the Creator in power. They had no choice but to align themselves with the Morning Star and hope for the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Holland Manners, Head of Special Projects, had drawn the short straw among the directors stationed in California. He'd known long ago that the job came with both amazing risks and amazing benefits but had never expected to have to deal with the actual Devil. That was why he'd delegated the task of keeping the immensely powerful being happy to a pair of Junior Partners that seemed to be after his job. Lindsey McDonald and Lilah Morgan hated each other too much to effectively plan his downfall together and could be easily sacrificed to compensate for any screw-ups, hopefully keeping Lucifer happy with the firm in the style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Similar unrest was quickly and quietly dealt with in the Watchers' Council. Surely the under-trained Slayer in the area would be lost if she confronted the Devil himself, and another would be called elsewhere. Could they even afford to wait that long, though? Many of the Slayer candidates that had been found early were trained well and awaited only their empowerment to begin their duties. Research into solutions to the problem found a few possibilities, but between Lucifer and the prophecy regarding the Slayer's death later the coming year it was determined no direct action would be taken in California for the time being. The rest of the world was a different style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Resources were stockpiled, known Slayer candidates were called in for or instructed to begin additional training, equipment and safe houses were double-checked, and Watcher candidate training was switched from mostly academic to a more survival and combat-oriented curriculum. The Council would fight this and every other evil preying on humanity until the bitter end, and to do so they needed to be prepared. The old gods and true demons had mostly been defeated and either driven out of their dimension or slain. So too would this upstart fallen angel. style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Various covens of witches and other "friendly" magic users were also called upon to bolster the ranks and provide support, but few of them answered the call. The Watchers had burned a lot of bridges over the years, and it was coming back to bite style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /One seeress in particular had some extra-strange visions. Instead of picking up on the presence of a new supernatural power, she somehow found herself subjected to visions of a yet-to-be-created children's show complete with audio. When Drusilla the Mad started babbling about how friendship was magic she was completely ignored by all but her darling Spike, who while confused would never ignore her. He took away from the one-sided conversation that minions would be extra necessary in the future, that he may need to find a witch or ten to bribe into helping keep him and his lady love safe, and finally that the weed in California was a lot stronger than he remembered. Perhaps a move back to Europe was in order?br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The Powers That Be, as they called themselves, were deeply unhappy. A new player in the game meant more competition, and they couldn't do a whole lot on Earth as it was. Since being forced off-world by the Old Ones and kept there by the Wolf, Ram, and Hart in conjunction with the First Evil they hadn't been able to evenly match the forces of destruction, let alone push them back. They didn't remember the Lightbringer themselves, but he'd been recorded in history as one of the first sons of the Creator and there were prison dimensions they'd never been able to check. It was quite possible he was real, and his return could prove to be the final straw for the world at style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /There was only one problem with that: the long-dormant conduit of power coming from the Creator itself was starting to show signs of life. Either the Lightbringer was closer in both power and nature to the Creator than they'd ever imagined or he wasn't the only one returning. If a true God showed up they might gain an overwhelmingly powerful ally. The self-proclaimed gods (hellish or not) of the worlds they watched over just couldn't match up to something that could dictate the rules of existence. A brilliant flash lit the halls of Heaven, and with a flare of amethyst and silver light a dancing flame burned for the first time in billions of years in the center of the upper style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /While it did not empower all those of the Powers and the Host who approached, it did so for many. Atrophied servants of creation that had long since left things to The Powers were slowly regaining their strength. The presence was different according to those with the longest memories, but the power was real and pure. Even changed, the Creator had returned. There had been no announcement so things were kept quiet, but the Heavenly Host prepared once more to make their mark on both the Earth and style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Far below, Tara Maclay opened the door to a pair of proselytizers asking her if she'd heard the word of their Lord and Savoir. She outright laughed exclaiming that she'd been saved by her very own guardian angel and they should move on before closing the door in their faces. If they didn't already know, they would style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Outside, Lindsay McDonald and Lilah Morgan stood dumbfounded. The Deceiver worked fast, and had already recruited a pair of powerful witches to his side if the records they'd found and the young woman's reaction were any indication. The wards around the house were the strongest they'd ever encountered but they couldn't feel a damn thing. They'd had to get creative just to get to the door, swearing that they didn't intend to harm anyone within. The barely-perceptible presence they'd felt shift was still there watching, waiting for any mistake or sign of deceit. They'd both felt a twinge of pain when they agreed on the plan to ask about their new client, and another when the young woman that answered the door looked briefly annoyed at style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /Next door Buffy, Dawn, and Joyce summers enjoyed a gift basket left by their new neighbor filled with chocolate from all over the world. In Boston a supremely old vampire, his assistant, and all his minions burned to less than ash in white fire. What passed for their souls were dragged south to the ass-end of the Earth and into a prison from which they would never escape. Darla was less than pleased by the quality of her new company. Several intangible clones returned to the essence of their creator, having completed all their tasks and style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /In LA Jesse McNally woke weeks later to find he really didn't ever want to go back to Sunnydale, and begged his parents not to make him go. Since they'd recently been offered lucrative employment elsewhere but had stayed for their son to finish school they agreed. Since he'd need to catch up on school anyway after his coma and his skull and ribs both needed time to heal, they'd enrol him again next year wherever they ended style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /-br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /The First Evil, manifestation of and dumping ground for all the world's hate, selfishness, and angst curled in on itself. While it spanned the entirety of the local multiverse, it wasn't arrogant enough to think that being both incorporeal and conceptual would keep it from death against a being that could go undetected save for the fact its very presence rejuvenated the fabric of reality itself. Things were changing again, and it wouldn't be a good idea to show up with powers like that around. Plots were aborted or delayed, pawns were destroyed or let go, and all other traces of its presence on Earth vanished. Every member of the Harbingers of Doom experienced sudden heart failure over the course of the next few days and their souls were stuffed in the deepest pits available to hide them./div  
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	41. Chapter 41

September tenth dawned, and I found myself in a bit of a quandry. I'd been here a nearly a whole day and nothing had struck me as particularly funny or good for long-term entertainment other than the plan to imitate Lucifer. The food was worth sticking around a while (at least long enough to get a good sampling of it), but what else was there to do while I waited for the joke to play out? My other avatars were doing all the fun stuff, like storming Pylea and learning new magic. Even the clones that hadn't disbursed yet were probably having more fun! Wasn't getting older supposed to make me more patient?

I could probably track down and deal with Mayor Wilkins, Glorificus, the Initiative, the Circle of the Black Thorn, the Senior Partners, and the First Evil (depending on its exact nature) in a few hours if I really wanted to. There was the Judge, a statue with a sword in it, the Sisters of Je, a bunch of random student shenanigans, Joyce's brain cancer, and so much more. How many experiences fighting evil could I deprive the Scoobies of before they were unable to handle anything that hadn't been shown in the series, though? I wasn't going to stick around forever, after all. And this was getting boring. I was going to have to start sending significantly less powerful avatars or ROB someone if I wanted to entertain myself.

I made breakfast as I pondered, and sent Tara over to offer rides to school for Buffy and Dawn if they wanted them. Joyce could use the time to settle into her new job I was sure, and I was heading to the high school anyway. Another stop wouldn't be any trouble. Dropping a holy smite on the entire planet would be briefly entertaining I mused as I scooped bacon onto a plate, but wouldn't be long-term fun. Come to think of it, I still hadn't achieved true mastery over magic or shapeshifting by the standards I'd imagined before Washu came to get me.

These days all of my magic was done with universal energy and divine power for anything that didn't cover. That was a lazy solution, though. I wanted to be able to create true life, planes of existence, devastating offensive spells, and all sorts of fancy shit with magic alone then branch out into doing it with psionics and chakra and all those other wonderful things. For that I'd need to bypass my Gamer ability and use actual mana rather than the catch-all I usually used the term for. My brow furrowed, and I handed a loaded plate of breakfast goodies to Sarah. Tara was already back and eating at the table. What did archmage status really mean to me, anyway? Being stupidly powerful was part of it, but adaptability was more important. If it weren't for my ridiculous efficiency and regeneration my mana reserve probably wouldn't be all that impressive.

Shapeshifting was another area that I'd wanted to master and hadn't come anywhere near. Oh sure, I could take just about any form I wanted even some that were completely non-physical. That wasn't the point. I wanted to be able to create, absorb, and modify anything and everything with the power of my changing ability alone. Cancer? Force it to mimic the healthy cells around it. Nasty beast attacking me? Eat it and gain its power. Gaping wound? Fill it with more shape-shifty stuff. Rock slide? Also eat it and gain its power. Or something. Maybe ooze out around it? The point was that I couldn't yet simply eat things and gain their forms, powers, memories, and whatever else I wanted. I also couldn't simply co-opt bodies with the power of my will or inflict changes on others without magic. The only way I could think of to satisfy that goal would be to do it all with psionics, life energy, and soul energy.

I'd become a Builder at some point, too. The itch to create was always there now, just under the surface. I'd barely done anything with it, in my opinion. What was a car or some minions when compared to the epic flying castles, planet-covering nano-machines, Dyson spheres, and other crap I'd imagined when I was younger? Elysium and Bastion were nice and kind of in the same league as a floating castle if you squinted. There was also an idea for an ultimate melee weapon I'd been toying around with, but I'd need to find a collapsing or otherwise doomed plane of existence to forge it. Thor's hammer would have nothing on the Dagger of...something or other. What did you call a knife made from the border between reality and unreality made manifest? How long would it take me to forge an entire dimension and the surrounding void into a blade? Could I still make it transform into a shovel?

When all that was done I wanted to give someone else the chance Washu had given me, too. Maybe I'd start with one of the versions of myself that had been following my adventures in writing, but eventually I wanted to do something slightly less egocentric too. The challenges Washu had presented were at first fascinating, but just weren't enough to keep me interested anymore. I'd only done one of them, in the end. Come to think of it, the Civilization challenge reward would help me get through these rough spots where I didn't want to interfere too much.

All of that was in the future, though. For now I'd just go along with things and see what happened. This was basically a vacation after all. I heard the front door open as Tara returned with the Summers daughters in tow. They'd been ready to leave but waiting on Joyce, who'd been grateful for the extra time to arrange things. They eyed the bacon longingly, Dawn actually taking me up on my offer of a little extra and we left as soon as breakfast was finished. Just for fun, I gave Dawn a beautiful conjured feather with a hint of my divine aura and an indestructibility enchantment to wear in her hair. Tara smiled at the gesture, Dawn looked confused, and Buffy looked faintly suspicious.

Buffy wasn't terribly fond of the school librarian. She didn't want anything to do with the supernatural anymore, and here was a brand new Watcher as if she wasn't still mourning the loss of her old one. The vampire victim the day before and the attack that night had rattled her though. One of her new friends was in the hospital but would recover in time, and both Xander and Willow were now aware of her past and what little she could tell them of what went bump in the night. When the three walked into the library before first period and found him white as a sheet and smelling a little like liquor she wasn't impressed. This whole town was weird.

She fingered the cross she'd received the night before, keeping it in her pocket for now. That guy had been creepy too, but at least his gift had helped save her friends. Giles spotted her immediately, and it only took a little convincing to allow the other teens into the conference he called in the library office. He sat down and started leafing through papers and books scattered on the desk, then turned his eyes to them when he had a neat little pile assembled. Xander fidgeted, Willow subtly elbowed him in the side, and Buffy sat wondering what had the new guy spooked.

He started with the standard introductory speech. "The world is older than you know," and all that. Willow had lots of questions, while Xander and Buffy mostly just let the conversation flow for their own reasons. Buffy related what had happened the night before with both the mysterious man and the vampire attack and Giles promised to look into it. He didn't look any less stressed than he had before, and Willow offered to help with research after school. They left the library when the warning bell rang, with Giles muttering about the Harvest and wondering where he'd heard it before.

It wasn't until later in the day when they returned to the library and Buffy asked to use the phone that things got really weird. She needed to call both her mother and Wren to arrange a late ride home, but she was just about finished talking to her mom when Wren walked into the library with Dawn and Tara. Wren startled and looked down at the floor as if he could see something underneath, then smiled slightly before scanning over the people present. His eyes lingered on Buffy for only a moment longer than her friends, but locked on Giles with purpose. Wren's head tilted slightly to the side as if listening to something only he could hear, and the librarian clutched at his arm as if in pain.

"Hello Buffy and friends. You weren't out front waiting, so I decided to ask if anyone knew where you were. A girl named Harmony pointed me here. Do you need some time? I can take Dawn and Tara home and come back for you later."

Giles stared at the man, his eyes wide behind his glasses and a wisp of smoke starting to come curl out from under his left sleeve. Buffy and to a lesser extent Xander looked between the two suspiciously, Willow blushed faintly but said nothing. When Giles finally spotted the feather in Dawn's hair he inhaled sharply and looked back at Wren with determination, still gripping his arm.

"Buffy, why don't you and your friends stay here for a while longer? I'm sure I can arrange transportation for you or you can walk. There's no need to make this gentleman go out of his way, but we do need to finish the...study session," he said as casually as he could. Nobody in the room missed the smoke or way Giles refused to take his eyes off of Wren, but the young man only looked mildly concerned.

"You might want to get that looked at, sir. Maybe running it under some cool water would help? As for rides home I can take Dawn back and stay near my phone in case your transportation doesn't work out. Buffy should probably ask Joyce about the change in plans though, since I doubt she knows this gentleman," he pointed out, gesturing to Buffy who was still on the phone. A quick check with her mother revealed that yes, she really would rather pick them up herself or allow Wren to do it rather than a complete stranger.

Wren's expression grew more concerned as Giles started to turn a little red and whatever was burning in his sleeve started to smell like cooked meat. Giles continued to stare, but Wren let Buffy know he wasn't busy and would come to get her if she called. He was going to bring Dawn and Tara home and start on dinner. The three of them left with a final admonition to Wren that Giles really should do something about his arm. As soon as the library doors closed the man dropped to the floor and frantically tugged off his jacket. The arm of the shirt beneath it was blackened around the inside of his elbow, and the teens watched with worry as he ripped the fabric off to reveal a spot of skin that looked badly sunburned.

Giles gaped at seeing it so something must have been unusual, but really the damage wasn't that bad. Xander eyed the exit warily while Willow repeated first-aid instructions to herself on the way toward the first-aid kit. Buffy just had a headache. Why couldn't her life be simple again? Once Giles was situated with some burn cream and a bandage he explained both the call he'd gotten from the Watchers' Council and what he'd learned about the Harvest. Buffy broke down in tears, and the terrified duo of Willow and Xander gave as much comfort as they could. Giles made tea and sipped from a flask.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was fated to die at the hands of the Master, Lucifer was her next door neighbor, and he'd just taken her little sister and one of her new friends home for the evening. Wait...didn't Tara live with him? Satan was boarding with one of her friends! Could they trust her, then? The existential crisis went on for hours, and she eventually called her mother to pick her up. Riding with the Devil didn't sound like a good idea. Now if only she could figure out a way to warn her mother that Dawn wouldn't immediately contradict, since he always dropped her off last and picked her up first...

The next morning was awkward. Buffy didn't want to say anything in case they were wrong and the guy hadn't done anything overtly creepy other than the possibility he was responsible for Giles's burn, but she also really **really** didn't want the Devil to drive her or her sister to school! Unfortunately it sounded like Joyce had already made plans with their wonderful neighbor for that, and they were having lunch later too! Wren was apparently a fan of art and wanted to get a look at the gallery before it was inevitably filled with what he called "church-sponsored rubbish." Buffy herself didn't know a whole lot about art except that her mother wasn't terribly fond of religious stuff either, but she couldn't help thinking it was just another sign that things weren't quite right with the guy.

The car ride was awkward, with Wren listening to some really strange songs she'd never heard of of a mix tape. One of the songs had the vocalist repeatedly yelling "I feel like a monster!" and Wren singing along with the lyrics, including an eerily good impression of the one time it came out in a weird demon voice [1]. She shivered, Dawn grinned happily, and Tara gave Wren an exasperated look that ended with him fast-forwarding to some sort of Irish folk song instead of listening to the rest of Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper. When they arrived at the high school Buffy stepped out shaking slightly. Back in Black hadn't rattled her quite as much as Monster, but leaving Dawn in the car with the man to head to her school while they both sang along to Hotel California wasn't helping. At all. She ended up dragging Tara to the library to answer some questions.

Tara's open admission that Wren was an angel who'd saved her and her mother while cursing her father and brother nearly made her wet herself. When Giles asked why she'd so readily admitted it her answer was no less worrying: Wren had told her she could trust each of them and one other person in the school **by name**, and that they were allowed to know what he was. The other person who was allowed to know? Janna Calderash (also known as Jenny Calendar), who had come to Sunnydale to keep an eye on a vampire cursed with a soul. Giles was twitching and stuttering by the time Tara left, Willow and Xander were both spooked, and Buffy just didn't know what the hell was going on anymore. She was supposed to die according to a prophecy, but from what Tara had said she was also under the protection of **the** fallen angel. What. The. Fuck.

[1] : The band Skillet actually formed that same year, but wouldn't release Monster for another three.


	42. Chapter 42

The ride home was even worse than the ride to school. Joyce had insisted on taking advantage of Wren's generosity at least until the gallery was open and operating smoothly. According to her the young man spent most of his day gardening or working on his car, and had a lovely singing voice. She'd caught him running through random snippets of the soundtracks from Aladdin and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Buffy was not reassured, especially when her mother reminded her to be ready for her study group later that night. A bit of genuine confusion and subtle inquiry revealed that Wren would be picking her up at seven. On the night she was fated to die by the Master's hand. A frantic call to Willow and some waiting got Giles on the phone. His advice was as terrifying as it was unhelpful: do what the possibly literal embodiment of evil said and hope for the best.

Advice wasn't the only thing he was willing to offer, though. While he didn't have much in the way of hope that he or even the entire Watchers' Council could actually stop the Lightbringer as an angel, he was also technically the father of demons and might have some of the same weaknesses. Last-minute orders from around the country and from the council itself delivered by a new Watcher might provide a way to contain or banish him when things went wrong. A young man named Wesley had delivered the extra books and materials from the Council only minutes before Willow contacted him. There was hope.

By the time Wren knocked on the door Buffy had choked down what dinner she could and worked herself into and out the other side of an epic panic attack. She felt numb. This was it. She walked to the car with him, noticing a car idling about a block away and the man who'd given her the cross arguing with a man in a fedora and trenchcoat about the same distance in the other direction. The song playing was once again strangely appropriate, and for once she recognized it. The Final Countdown blazed over the stereo system as Wren drove them to condemned building a few blocks from the school. The car she'd noticed idling followed, but neither occupant of the vehicle acknowledged it.

When Wren opened the door for her she took his hand reluctantly, heart pounding in her chest. This was it. Either the Devil murdered her or the Master did. The teens and Watchers piling out of the car down the street only meant her friends would see her final moments. A murmured and irresistable instruction to follow had her entering the warehouse behind him timidly. She caught flashes of surprise and confusion on the faces of vampires before they dissolved into dust at his approach. He stopped at the entrance to a recently excavated tunnel she thought might lead toward the school and glanced back at the entrance.

"You may as well follow closely. It won't change what happens here," he called into the darkness. Giles, Willow, Xander, and a younger man in tweed stepped into the room and shuffled closer. Weapons, elaborate crosses, sheafs of notes, and a few bags hung about them as they obeyed the compulsion. Where Xander had gotten a pistol Buffy would never know, but she smiled at him faintly for going through the effort. The mysterious asshole who'd given her the cross came in only a minute later, followed by the man in the trenchcoat and fedora. The fallen angel issued one last command before turning and leading them into the darkness of the tunnels.

"While you follow you will be silent. It's not every day that you witness such a momentous event, after all."

The walk into the caverns and eventually a buried church-like structure was quicker than Buffy would have liked. Whatever spell had been laid over the group kept them calm and at peace despite the screaming hordes of vampires and other demons that approached only to disintegrate a few steps away without even a glance from the Lightbringer. Places that would otherwise have gone unlit by the torches along the way were instead visible due to an omnipresent aura of silver-white light that radiated from him but cast no shadows. When they finally reached a ruined church with its pool of blood, plethora of demons, and stereotypical vampire at the head Buffy was resigned to her fate. When Wren started talking she sighed at expected villainous monologue.

"Heinrich Joseph Nest...your servants call you Master. You are aware of the prophecy, and the Slayer stands before you. She does not stand alone. Know that while you thought yourself without equal, you failed to consider your betters," he declared dispassionately.

The Master sneered and gestured, for the demons under his command to apprehend them or attack was unknown. They met the same fate as all those before them and crumbled to dust when they approached the group. The calming aura was now tinged with amusement, and Buffy started to wonder even as Willow and Giles both gasped in revelation. If other emotions carried through the spell, why had the monster let amusement of all things through? Was it just to make her feel worse about how helpless she was? That didn't make sense with the enforced calm, but he could probably change it.

Across the room the Master loomed, seeming to grow taller and more imposing in the flickering candlelight. His eyes glowed dimly, but he staggered back when the silvery glow of Wren's light surged. What had most likely been the Master's stronger minions fell to their knees at the brightness and started to smolder. When they burst into smoke and ash the Master growled loud and low, then stepped forward into a shimmering ripple in the air.

"Whoever you are, your power will only feed my own," he said menacingly. "After all this time the barrier is too weak to contain me!" The ripple in the air shattered like glass and fell away like an illusion. "Now, behold the power of the Master!"

There it was. Villain monologue achieved, though of higher quality than most, Buffy mused to herself. This whole aura of calm thing was actually pretty cool now that she thought about it. The Master thinking he could take on Lucifer himself brought a giggle to her lips, but she managed to keep it down to a snort. What passed for eyebrows on the pale bastard's head twitched as he glanced in her direction, then he started issuing commands of his own. She felt them, but they slid off her mind without any effect.

"You will all submit. Kneel before me, and be the feast with which I celebrate my return to this pitiful world!"

Nobody moved, but the Master's gaze did snap back to Wren. He seemed confused. Feathers rustled somewhere in the distance, and the ephemeral silver light grew brighter around him. His dark hair bled from ash blonde to glowing white, massive wings of light sprouted from his back, and his clothes changed from casual wear to an otherwise simple amethyst-trimmed silver robe. Buffy could actually **see** the aura that had surrounded her and the the rest spread to fill the room, and the Master **screamed** at its touch. His skin darkened and started to smoke the instant it was exposed, and he stumbled back into the pool of now-steaming blood. The Lightbringer's eyes followed the ancient vampire as he flailed for a moment, then charged with a roar of fury and pain only to be caught by the neck and raised into the air.

"So ends the reign of the Master," the winged man said calmly. An anticlimactic snap and a pulse of light reduced the ancient being to dust, his skeleton hanging in the air for a moment before following his flesh into oblivion. Steam drifted briefly from the closed fist of the fallen angel before his supernatural features fell away and he turned to Buffy, her friends, and the Watchers. He eyed them for a moment before pulling in the aura, leaving each of them in various states of quickly elevating distress. Giles and the new guy quickly started scrambling for their books and other instruments while Xander stepped protectively in front of her. Willow hugged them both, standing sort of beside Xander and sort of beside Buffy but defiant in the face of such overwhelming power.

A small, crooked smile came over Wren's features as he studied them. When the robe melted away into motes of light to reveal his normal clothes underneath and he snorted in laughter everyone tensed. He shook his head, gestured to first the pool of blood, then the floor below him, and finally at the group before simply walking back the way they'd come. Buffy twitched, watching him go. She heard Xander inhale sharply and turned back to see a massively complex diagram glowing on the floor where the Lightbringer had vanquished the Master and a pile of gold ingots where the blood had been. The dust from the vampires and other demons was floating toward a growing sphere in the center of the room.

Before she could react Buffy found herself on her back as the sphere exploded into brilliant white light that washed over the entire cavern leaving a lingering feeling of peace and serenity in its wake. As Giles and his fellow watcher scrambled to take pictures and investigate the remains of the cavern Willow and Xander both turned to hug her close. A few minutes later Willow commented that Buffy'd done a good job of dying her eyebrows to match the rest of her hair.

When the group reached the place they'd parked the Lightbringer was nowhere to be seen, but his keys sat on the hood of his car with a note admonishing the new Watcher (Wesley) not to damage it driving Buffy home and to park it on the street. It was signed only with an elaborate L. The shaken group rode back to Revelo Drive in silence, with Giles driving the Devil's car out of spite and morbid curiosity. There was a box of mix tapes and some paperwork in the glove compartment, but other than that it seemed brand new and empty.

Sunnydale seemed...peaceful, for lack of a better word. The lights shined brighter, the grass was greener, and not a single bump could be heard in the night. The wind carried a bit more dust than usual, but the weather had been fairly dry recently. The lights were on at both Buffy's house and the Maclay home next door. A grinning Dawn greeted them at the door and led them into the dining room to find Joyce and Wren calmly sipping tea and discussing how etiquette might change in a town full of vampires and other demons. Buffy froze, her eyes darting between the two at the table and the exit frantically. Giles groaned and started to clean his glasses while the others guided Buffy to a seat before finding their own.

"So naturally," Wren continued, "in such a place you'd likely find an abundance of places of worship, the graveyards associated with them, and a distinct down-trend in doormat sales. The statistics we've talked about support this, and you can see how it looks. It's like the entire place was tailor-made for the supernatural," he said with a gesture at a stylized map on the table. A few books were stacked nearby, covered in papers and a couple of folders. "The narrative can be shaped in any way you want with such an environment, and if you really wanted to you could even branch out to surrounding cities. It's quite impressive." Joyce nodded along, tracing out paths on the map and flipping to several others under it that seemed to show sewer and tunnel systems connected to the surface.

"It isn't the first thing I'd have guessed, but when you lay it out like that it does fall together nicely. How long ago did you say this started?" She asked.

"Well, Sunnydale was founded in 1899 on an area the Spanish settlers called the Mouth of Hell by the eternally-youthful Richard Wilkins, whose ultimate goal was to ascend to the status of an Old One. It's quite charming and holds to the plot very well, especially given the Catholic mission established early on and eventually occupied by the excommunicated priest Josephus du Lac. You remember the Du Lac Cross I told you about with Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla?" Joyce nodded again, and both Watchers' eyes threatened to pop out of their heads.

"Yes! That does tie it together nicely. And all through it these...Scoobies, you called them? These Scoobies and their Watchers just barely manage to stay a step ahead." This earned another nod from Wren.

"Exactly. That helps keep the dramatic tension from ever completely dying out and allows for more and more powerful enemies over time given the background mechanisms I explained involving Aspect of Demon. With sufficient cleansing it can be turned to even greater good, but the heroes never seem to realize that. It truly is a shame the way the plot came down in the end. So many deaths...but that's why it's a game, right?" Wren's smile, completely innocent, belied the horror of what they were hearing. The fact that Joyce nonchalantly agreed with him and continued to look over the maps was chilling. Wren seemed to notice the group then, and checked his wrist as if there was a watch there.

"Well Joyce, this has been a lovely chat and you make excellent tea but I believe I have to be going. Feel free to keep the maps if you like. You can even frame them. And if you find anything that might work for the items we discussed please remember to show me first."

"Of course, dear. Have a nice night, and tell Tara and her mother we'll be there for the barbecue!"

Giles dropped his bag full of ritual paraphernalia with a resounding thud as Wren passed the group on the way to the door and Joyce started gathering cups for tea and coffee. Questions he hadn't even known to ask had been answered with just that little snippet of conversation, and the puzzle coming together in his head wasn't pretty. The fact that Joyce was now aware of the nature of the town and the threat it represented could be horrifically disastrous or exactly what he needed to keep his emotionally unstable charge on the path necessary. Buffy looked at her mother with tears in her eyes.

"Mom? You... you know? He told you?"

"Of course, Buffy! I don't know why you didn't say anything earlier," Joyce replied with a slightly confused look. Giles inhaled deeply and prepared the speech again, just to make sure the poor woman hadn't been misled. He could think about the rest of what he'd heard later.

"This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their...their Hell. But in time, they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for man. All that remains of the Old Ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures," he began. It wasn't until Buffy lifted the refrigerator as a demonstration and Giles conjured a small fireball that they realized Joyce had believed the entire thing to be a sort of local legend that was being turned into a role-playing game.

Dawn, who'd left with Wren ostensibly for tutoring came back to a rattled group of family and friends with tubs of ice cream and tales of magical fireworks shooting over the warehouses at the edge of town while she talked to the man in question about her hopes and dreams. Careful questioning revealed that he'd told Dawn he was staying with the Maclays next door during his extended vacation, and had easily guided her through both the assigned homework and quite a bit of what she could expect over the rest of the school year.


	43. Chapter 43

In a garden paradise somewhere outside the normal flow of time, a nominal god pondered. The Master wasn't supposed to have risen until something like a year after Buffy arrived, as per his memory of the show. He'd long since discovered that Savant's "perfect" memory wasn't in any way compatible with the rest of his brain. At best it made his memory extremely detailed and easy to access while increasing his data retention and mathematical skill. Washu had either half-assed it or he just wasn't mentally capable of taking advantage of it. The same could be said for the mental boosts he'd acquired from The Gamer. He swiped his hand across his face and dismissed the speculation. That wasn't the real problem, and he knew it.

The Master had appeared way ahead of schedule, which shouldn't have been possible. The changes caused by his arrival and subsequent actions shouldn't have been big enough to have such a drastic effect so soon. At least exorcising the Slayer spirit from its current host had gone as expected. A little divination had allowed him to do the same with the next host, kill the threat to the third, and track down a ton of potentially world-ending threats. The ridiculous cave full of sealed up "evils" had been emptied and returned to a somewhat reasonable geological state, with everything in it had being destroyed as best he was able and recycled for material. What little he wasn't able to reliably destroy was left in the demon dimension Pylea when he went to pick up their human slaves, then walled off so they could no longer access any other dimension. Let those assholes deal with soul-consuming god corpses. Wolfram and Hart was simply gone, including their backers. The buildings stood abandoned on consecrated ground.

The blue form of the Judge's head started yelling muted obscenities at him from the jar of fluid he'd picked up on a whim from the Futurama verse, and he absently sprinkled some fish food into it and slapped on a silencing spell. While he technically couldn't get bored anymore, he'd found there was something worse: brooding. Long dramatic periods of introspection in which his mind basically just went in circles instead of doing anything productive. He couldn't let himself fall to such an insidious foe. He needed to spice things up, somehow. Being a god was pretty great, but between knowing what was coming and having little to no trouble overcoming obstacles he'd been mostly coasting since he started in the Potter-verse. His head tilted to the side and his form shifted randomly as he considered how to make things interesting again. Slowly, a smile formed on his face. That would work. He'd have to make a few trips and finish things up here, but he was quite certain he'd never been forbidden from messing with his alternates or even the other avatars.

Buffy growled to herself. It had been weeks. The Devil had saved her life, and then he'd fucked off to God only knew where. Tara had excitedly taken over driving her and Dawn to school using Wren's car, upon which they discovered he'd apparently done something nefarious at the Department of Motor Vehicles to get them to allow Tara her license without actually attending a class for it. Nobody could quite bring themselves to care that Satan had taught her to drive, since in the meantime the newly-dubbed Scoobies had found one of their classmates possessed by her own mother, a fraternity sacrificing young women to a snake demon [1], and a weird mantis thing posing as their substitute biology teacher that tried to seduce and eat Xander. The poor boy had then been possessed himself by a primal Hyena spirit. The less said about that, the better.

There'd been a supposedly demon-possessed book that turned out to be completely free of bad guys she could punch, and instead contained a variety of recipes for different types of custard. Giles had made a sound he insisted was a dignified inhalation but sounded a lot like a squeak of fright when Willow opened the book to scan it but started reading it instead. Buffy's hair-gelled stalker had been knocked out and left mostly naked on the beach with a backpack full of papers declaring his name to be Liam Neeson and a wallet with a boatload of cash in it. She'd found out when her mother burst out laughing during the evening news, and couldn't help but grin a little herself. The guy was a creeper, even if he was cute. Spending a night or two in lockup for passing out drunk and being grilled by the police served him right.

Ethan Rayne was excited. He'd been approached with an offer too good to be true: cause chaos and prevent a threat to his own life, all for the low-low price of working with another spellcaster to put some extras into the spell he'd been planning to cast for years. He'd already travelled to California and sourced all the components he'd need plus a few extra, and his new best friend had been dropping off costumes all week. September was coming to a close, and the store would open on October first. The bust of Janus he'd been planning to use as a catalyst for the spell was joined by a decorated amulet, an iridescent white feather, and a complex diagram etched into the concrete of the back room under a rug.

The money he'd originally hoped to take away from the event was icing on the cake, as far as he was concerned. He'd asked about a few of the stranger costumes and been introduced to a bunch of Japanese cartoons [2] and some ridiculously silly versions of them that were called "abridged series." He couldn't stop himself from chuckling every time he saw the red trench coat and orange sunglasses, even a few weeks later.

The Heavenly Host was assembled, awaiting only the command of the Creator to move on the demons below. Messages from the creator appearing via lightning bolt were new, but the power matched that of the sacred flame and they obeyed. Heaven itself was changing, a massive presence wrought from the same power building from some undefinable place and pouring massive amounts of divine energy into every crack and crevice of the plane until even the lowest of divine servants were near bursting with it. The link to the material plane widened continuously, allowing the excess power to flow into the core of the universe and outward in ever-increasing waves changing the very fabric of reality there as well. Countless souls passed through, most slated for reincarnation and either immediately redistributed or placed in stasis until they were needed.

There was some resistance to the new rules, but it never lasted long. The second a servant acted against them they were denied access to the power of Heaven until they atoned, with more egregious breaches of conduct resulting in being turned human and banished to various unsavory locations until those involved had learned their lesson. New Jersey was a strangely popular banishment location, and largely considered to be a time-out for all involved.

Magic, the kind accessible to humans, demons, and lesser gods was greatly curtailed as well. The afterlife was now inaccessible with the exception of limited and strictly censored communication, transformation of living things was now impossible except to heal and return things to their natural states, and conjuration of living things was limited such that nothing conjured had a soul or any sort of intelligence beyond basic instinct. Karma and magic related to it was became easier but at the same time seemed to run through some kind of filter that moderated most of the results.

Many of the minor gods had been folded into a new largely automated administrative system, with those that refused to cooperate being reduced to powerful spirits or mortal souls depending on both their history and how politely they refused. Those with a particularly cruel bent simply vanished, not even getting a choice in the matter. The system itself would regulate magic, the moral world, and the afterlife in such a way that aside from oversight duties most supernatural entities would now be far more available to pursue their own goals. Rumors of the system being named Yggdrasil circulated regularly, and often resulted in a message via lightning bolt chastising those involved for being culturally insensitive. Apparently every afterlife was now custom built for the soul who chose not to return to the cycle by the system, and there shouldn't be any bias toward any given belief system. Some souls were even shipped out to other universes now, provided the soul itself wanted to go somewhere in particular.

There was some grumbling about how the system changeover was happening at the close of a particular holiday in October, and that showed bias in itself. Those who grumbled such were asked to pick a date that wasn't significant to any one individual or culture, and quieted quickly. The establishment of the new system proceeded, with refinements suggested and implemented as they came up. That this just happened to clear up a great number of backlogged issues and limit the number of things that needed to be brought to the attention of any individual being let alone the Creator itself seemed to be a happy side effect. Quite a few entities were now picking up hobbies like gardening, reading, and writing as a result rather than constantly worrying about who needed to intervene in what, when, why, and how.

For the moment, they waited for the signal. A particular mage would cast a particular spell with the help of Janus and an Avatar of the Creator, then the Host would flood the mortal world and scour the remaining demonic cancer from existence. Invisible to all but a select few, the purge would put an end to the conflict between those that would influence mortals to good or evil leaving only the System and the Administration.

A winged figure, invisible to all, dropped a load of electronics and blueprints into a box at the top of the highest building in Sunnydale. He was a little disappointed it was only seven stories tall, but he'd take what he could get. The projects were ready. In the first box was a collection of unusual DNA samples and a couple of guidebooks based on his own psychic techniques. In the second box was a compilation of basic spells sufficient to create a new system of magic and a few enchanted items. Finally, the last box was a basic Builder starter kit with enough data, plans, and hints to make someone a very unconventional cape.

Conjuring a nice reclining chair and a bowl of never-ending popcorn, Wren sat back to watch the chaos unfold. He'd negotiated with a the chaos mage Ethan Rayne to kick off his long-planned Halloween special a year early, adding his own safety features such that nobody would actually stay dead if they died as a result of the spell in the process. As an added bonus, Janus was more than happy to play with something that truly randomized what costumes were generated and distributed such that there were an infinite number of possible timelines to watch when one got boring. What was he forgetting? Oh! Right. With a gentle nudge from his power a message was queued up to be distributed to the Scoobies and other associated characters. Now all he had to do was wait for the festivities to begin.

"_Hello, everyone! Now I'm quite sure by now you think I'm either insane, evil, or both. Some of you might just think I'm an asshole. No matter your opinion, I want you to know that I enjoyed my vacation on your world. I've arranged something as a kind of going-away gift to myself and a few more as gifts to you since you might not enjoy the night I have planned. Don't worry, nobody's going to die from it. Tara, tell your mother I loved her apple tartlet and that the house and car are paid for in her name!_"

**Author's final note:** That last bit in italics is Wren's message to the Scoobies and associated characters. I wanted to leave this open-ended immediately prior to the events of the Halloween episode since YAHF (yet another Halloween fic) stories are some of my favorites, and I could never decide on just one. I don't like ending the story like this, but I also don't like a lot of what I did in other chapters and I don't think this would ever be truly finished unless I took the plunge and made this last post. I plan to do some follow up stories as indicated by the boxes Wren's got, but they'll most likely be pretty slow in coming and updating. One is going to be about a Builder (as per the lore used in this story) in the Worm-verse, but the other two are up for debate. I have power-sets taken from the poll, but I can't decide if I want the psychic shapeshifter in Teen Titans or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The other setting will get the beginner mage. Feel free to give me your opinion on that, and feel free to add your own Halloween episode shenanigans based on the end of Jump-chain to Godhood below!


End file.
